This thesis presents a systematic participatory to propose convergent design policies between university and company to foster innovation in the textile industry of Santa Catarina. It is characterized as an action research of quantitative and qualitative feature. It looks into companies in the textile / clothing department and educational institutions, the project participants of Santa Catarina Contemporary Fashion - SCMC, concerning innovation, use of design and features of the relationship university -company. The results indicate that there is a requirement for innovation and design. The companies are innovative in that they develop innovation activities, but novelty is low. Innovation takes place mainly by actions of the company itself, while the universities are still outside of this process. Although recent, fashion design is present in most of the surveyed companies, which are medium and large sized. The survey also revealed that the drawbacks found in the relationship university - company, may be associated with both the proportion of their infrastructure and the organizational plus psychosocial extent of their own relationship. These data were worked in a forum with the participation of actors and professionals involved in fashion. In this event, the key attributes of value of the textile / fashion chain business in Santa Catarina have been identified, among others, which must be explored in the policy of textile design: cooperative actions that exercise the local identity, strengthening of the relationship university / company / government; creation of experimental laboratories; promoting of the local design and the knowledge management. The set of elements of action research enabled the formulation of theoretical, structural, strategic and instrumental indicators that can guide policy design for innovation. We conclude that the systematic proposal, participatory and convergent setting between companies and universities, encourages the development of policies for design innovation directed towards the needs and potentials of a specific region .It enables people to be active in decisions that concern them, which leads them to be more likely to adopt new kinds of behavior and ways to innovation.