We invite workshop and presentation proposals to the 5th edition of the Social Design Days, to be held 19-20 March 2026 in Covilhã, Portugal.
The DESIS Network main aim is to use design thinking and design knowledge to trigger, enable, and scale-up social innovation.
We invite all DESIS Lab members, partners, and collaborators to participate in this upcoming event with workshop or presentation proposals focusing on Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability, and exploring possible topics, namely a) reflecting on concrete challenges of a territory, such as climate change, aging populations, mobility, promotion of local cultures and economies, b) discussing better practices, methodologies and interdisciplinary relationships within design projects, c) (re)thinking design strategies based in participatory processes that consider populations’ needs, values, and resources, especially marginalised communities, d) approaching design parameters and a human-centred approach to enhance the resilience and identity of territories, e) affirming the potential of design strategies for emergency scenarios in the context of social and environmental adversities.
Workshops may last a maximum of 90 minutes, and presentations must not exceed 20 minutes. Please submit your proposal by sending an extended abstract of workshop or presentation proposals by 26 February 2026 to margarida.gomes.ferreira@ubi.pt. It must not exceed 2500 words, may be written in English, and it must include the workshop/presentation title, organizer name and affiliation, theme, purpose, and outcomes, relevance, methodology, necessary equipment, and participants’ materials, and any additional comments to the review committee.