Government-led policies operate within distinct ‘National Contexts’, with implications from other policies. These contexts are critical for structuring innovation policies for design support. They preserve distinctive qualities such as cultural heritage and ingenious knowledge systems, and they work within socio-economic levels of maturity, autonomy, governance, market conditions, and appropriate infrastructure for design. In addition, effective innovation policy for design requires coordinated engagement of diverse stakeholders—spanning government, industry, academia, and design communities, constituting an integrated ecosystem referred to as a ‘National Design System’.