Call For Papers
Special Call - Up to 15 th November
Important Dates
First Call (Closed)
Full Paper Submission Deadline:
September 30, 2025
Notification of Acceptance
November 8, 2025
Camera-Ready Papers:
January 15, 2026
Conference Programme Release:
February 28, 2026
(This call is now closed. We thank all contributors for the excellent submissions received)
New Special Call – Green Capital Challenge 2026
New Submission Deadline:
November 15, 2025
Notification of Acceptance
To be announced very soon
Camera-Ready Papers:
To be announced very soon
Payment Phases
Early Bird Registration
until November 16, 2025
Regular Registration
until January 16, 2026
Late Registration
until February 16, 2026
DESIGN COMMIT 2026 invites researchers, professionals and students to submit full, peer-reviewed papers that explore how design can respond to the complexity of today’s world by learning from natural systems and regenerative practices.
This is a transdisciplinary platform for advancing research and innovation that supports sustainability, inclusion, circularity and well-being.
All accepted papers will be published in the official Conference Proceedings (ISBN and DOI). The proceedings from the 2024 edition have been submitted for indexation in the Web of Science – Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI) and are currently under evaluation.
As in the previous edition, the Organising Committee aims to provide high-level editorial opportunities for selected contributions. In 2024, Design Commit led to two major international publications:
> Handbook of Design and Industry: Scenarios for Sustainable Futures (Taylor & Francis | CRC Press)
> A Special Issue in The Design Journal (Taylor & Francis)
We are actively working to secure similar editorial opportunities for DESIGN COMMIT 2026 participants.
Doctoral and Postgraduate
The DESIGN COMMIT 2024 offers recent master’s degree graduates and Ph.D. students a dedicated discussion and networking session, to be held during the conference, which is an opportunity for emerging practitioners and researchers to discuss their work and receive feedback from peers and senior researchers. We encourage all recent doctoral candidates and master’s degree graduates with a project relating to the DESIGN COMMIT 2024 main thematic areas, who have a clear idea of their thesis’ focus and study design to apply and submit a full or short paper, that includes how their research addresses the conference theme.
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Special Call - Design Commit Green Capital Challenge 2026
UP TO 15 NOVEMBER 2025
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Introduction
DESIGN COMMIT 2026 is pleased to announce the Special Call – Design Commit Green Capital Challenge 2026, launched within the framework of our partnership with the European Green Capital 2026.
This collaboration represents a shared commitment to advancing sustainability, innovation, and dialogue between design, industry, and nature, at a time when environmental and social challenges call for collective and transdisciplinary responses.
Aligned with the conference theme “Design for Different Futures | Learning with Nature” and its main tracks, this special call is distinguished by five complementary moments, each with its own identity, inviting international contributions from researchers, designers, companies, communities, and policymakers.
Context
Climate change, biodiversity loss, and the global ecological crisis are no longer future projections; they are present realities that affect economies, ecosystems, and ways of life.
In this scenario, design, understood as a cultural, social, and technological practice, has the responsibility to act as a force of anticipation, regeneration, and transformation.
The Special Call – Green Capital Challenge 2026 emerges as an opportunity to gather contributions that address these pressing issues, propose creative solutions, and envision inclusive, resilient, and sustainable futures.
Important Information
Further details on each of the five moments of this Special Call, including specific schedules, participation criteria, and registration fees, will be announced very soon on the official website and through the conference’s communication channels.
The Four Moments of the Special Call
1. Green Capital Challenge 2026
Projects and papers aligned with sustainability and regeneration, in line with the agenda of the European Green Capital 2026.
Same formats as the main call (Full and Short Papers).
See the submission guidelines below.
2. Institutional Labs & Research Groups Showcase – Learning with Nature Experiments (hybrid format)
A space for laboratories and research groups to present their projects, methodologies, and experiences collectively.
· Submissions in the form of short papers presenting work-in-progress, prototypes, or network projects.
· Possibility to propose satellite sessions connected to the main programme.
The goal is to provide institutional visibility and foster international academic collaboration.
More details will be announced soon on the website.
3. Design with Communities
Focused on co-creation practices with local and regional communities, exploring participatory methods and direct social impact.
· Applied projects involving citizens, associations, NGOs, or local collectives.
· May be facilitated by research centres and other partners, but the emphasis lies on community-driven dynamics.
The goal is to generate practical, transformative results, co-created with people on the ground.
More details will be announced soon on the website.
4. Emerging Voices – Flash Talks
An international space dedicated to young researchers, PhD candidates, and recent graduates to present innovative contributions and emerging visions in a dynamic format.
The goal is to give visibility to the next generation, encouraging renewal and diversity of perspectives in design.
More details will be announced soon on the website.
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Submission Guidelines
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Submitted papers must meet the following rules:
– Full papers: 8 to 12 pages, including title, abstract, keywords, main body, images, and bibliographical references (references are included in the page limit).
– Short papers: 4 to 6 pages, including title, abstract, keywords, main body, images, and bibliographical references (references are included in the page limit).
– Papers must address one of the conference topics and present complete studies or theoretical findings
– Submissions should demonstrate high academic scholarship, clearly articulating the research focus, context, methodology, findings, and contribution to the field.
– Papers must be written in English and follow the APA publication style for in-text citations and references.
– Formatting must follow the provided template.
– All submissions must be anonymous for double-blind peer review. Authors must remove their names and institutional references before submission.
– Each author may submit a maximum of two papers as the lead author.
– Submissions must be made through the EasyChair submission system.
– Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings, provided that at least one author registers, attends, and presents at the conference.
– Papers that are not presented will be excluded from the proceedings.
– All submitted and accepted papers may also be considered for possible selection and further publication (extended version) in journals or books associated with the conference.
– After the review period, authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection via email.
Submitted papers will be reviewed on a double blinded peer-review process. Only original contributions will be accepted.
Authors should write and present their reports in English while following the APA publication style for reference lists. Files should be submitted following the template. After the review period, we will notify all authors of acceptance or rejection via email. We will invite accepted authors to publish their contribution in the conference proceedings.
Full paper submissions that are not presented at the conference will be excluded from the official proceedings. To be included in the proceedings, at least one of the authors should register, attend, and present their papers at the conference.
Paper Template
Powerpoint Template
PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES
Editorial Outcome of Design Commit 2024
Following the successful editorial outcome of Design Commit 2024, we are pleased to highlight the publishing achievements from the last edition:
a. The Book of Abstracts was published with DOI and ISBN and is available here.
b. The Book of Proceedings, published by the University of Aveiro Press, was published with DOI and ISBN and is available here. It is also indexed in the Web of Science – Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI).
c. The Taylor & Francis book, Design and Industry: Scenarios for Sustainable Futures, featuring 25 selected chapters from high-scoring conference papers. It’s available for pre-order: View on Routledge Website
d. The Special Issue Call in The Design Journal (Taylor & Francis), which provided an opportunity for authors to submit extended versions of their work, is currently under review. We will share updates with the community as soon as possible.
Publishing Opportunities for Design Commit 2026
Building on the well-established editorial standards of previous editions, we are pleased to confirm that Design Commit 2026 will offer the following publishing opportunities:
a. Conference Proceedings – All accepted papers will be published in the official Conference Proceedings, certified with ISBN and DOI.
Upcoming Announcements
We will soon announce additional publishing opportunities with Taylor & Francis, including:
a. Taylor & Francis Book – A selection of high-quality full papers will be invited for publication as chapters in a Taylor & Francis book.
b. Special Issue in The Design Journal – A Call for Papers will be launched in The Design Journal (Taylor & Francis), indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (AHCI).
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Thematic Areas
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ECHOES
Learning from Nature's Wisdom
Where inspiration echoes through the patterns of life.
Areas_biomimicry, bio-design, natural forms, design theory, epistemology
- Biomimetic Design
- Natural Patterns in Design
- Nature-Inspired Product Design
- Sustainable Innovations from Nature
- Bio-Inspired Engineering
This track listens to the murmurs of nature’s wisdom and invites us to echo them in our creative practices. From the spiral of a shell to the memory of a forest, ECHOES explores how natural forms, behaviours and principles can inspire design processes that resonate with both ancestral knowledge and future innovation. It is a space to reflect on why we turn to nature, and how that encounter transforms what and how we design.
LISTEN
Attuning to Natural Systems
To design is first to listen — to rivers, winds, and unseen patterns.
Areas_environmental data, eco-feedback, data-driven design, adaptive systems
- Environmental Data in Design
- Observational Methods in Natural Systems
- Ecosystem-Informed Design
- Nature-Based Decision Making
- Adaptive Design from Nature
Before we act, we must observe. LISTEN is a call to attune ourselves to the silent intelligence of ecosystems, to read landscapes like texts and to decode the signals of the living world. This track values design that begins with listening, through data, observation, immersion, or contemplation, guiding processes that respond with sensitivity and respect to natural rhythms and complexity.
NURTURE
Cultivating Sustainable Practices
Design as care. Growth as reciprocity. Making as healing.
Areas_sustainable materials, permaculture, eco-products, circular economy
- Design for Soil and Food Futures
- Permaculture in Urban Design
- Biodiversity-Supporting Products
- Eco-friendly Manufacturing Practices
- Sustainable Consumer Goods
NURTURE embraces design as a regenerative gesture—one that cultivates instead of extracts, that nourishes instead of consumes. Rooted in permaculture, circular practices, and eco-ethics, this track explores how we can design with the patience of a gardener, with the humility of a steward, and with the awareness that every material choice is also a moral one.
REGENERATION
Designing for Renewal
To restore is to imagine again. To heal is also to design.
Areas_urban renewal, social design, community-led design, restoration projects
- Ecological Restoration Projects
- Resilient Infrastructure Design
- Social Impact of Regenerative Design
- Urban Renewal and Green Spaces
- Community-Led Environmental Projects
Beyond sustainability lies the promise of renewal. REGENERATION celebrates design as a force that can restore ecosystems, repair social fabrics, and re-enchant places wounded by extraction or neglect. This track honours the power of design to bring life back—to land, to community, to future possibility and asks how we might co-create spaces of care, resilience, and shared belonging.
SYSTEMIC
Integrative and Holistic Approaches
All things are connected. Design is a thread in the web.
Areas_systems thinking, cross-scale design, integration, ecosystem-level design
- Systems Thinking in Design
- Integrated Ecosystem Design
- Holistic Product Development
- Interconnected Network Solutions
- Cross-Disciplinary Design Approaches
SYSTEMIC invites us to zoom out—to see design as part of greater networks, flows and feedback loops. From micro to macro, from matter to meaning, this track embraces complexity and seeks integration across disciplines, actors and scales. It’s a space to explore design as choreography, as ecology, as a practice of linking what was once seen as separate.
Cross-cutting Submissions
DESIGN COMMIT 2026 welcomes hybrid or cross-cutting proposals that span multiple thematic areas. If your work intersects two or more thematic areas or explores the broader integration of design, nature and industry, please select the ‘Cross-cutting’ option during submission. You may also indicate relevant keywords to help us assign the most suitable reviewers.
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Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
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The editorial team of the Design Commit International Conference is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and preventing any form of malpractice. All authors, editors, and reviewers involved in the publication process are expected to follow the principles outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
> All submissions are subject to double-blind peer-review by at least two independent reviewers.
> The editorial team ensures the originality of contributions and uses plagiarism detection tools.
> In cases of plagiarism, fraudulent data, or unethical behavior, the submission will be rejected or retracted.
> Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their work.
> Reviewers must declare conflicts of interest and respect the confidentiality of the review process.
> Editors make decisions based solely on academic merit and conference relevance.
The conference proceedings are published by UA Editora – University of Aveiro and are made available in open access via the institutional repository of the University of Aveiro (RIA-UA).
No publication or submission fees are charged to authors. The publication is fully funded by institutional support. No advertising is accepted, and revenue is not derived from commercial promotion.
Archiving and long-term preservation of the conference proceedings are ensured through the digital infrastructure of RIA-UA, which follows institutional backup and digital preservation policies.
This publication fully adheres to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing as defined by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME.
Clarification regarding conference and publication fees:
Authors who presented at the Design Commit 2024 conference paid a registration fee to attend the event, as is standard practice for academic conferences. However, no separate fees were charged for submission or publication of full papers in the proceedings.
The publication of the Design Commit 2024 Book of Proceedings was entirely supported by institutional funding and editorial volunteer work. Authors did not pay any article processing charges (APCs), submission fees, or publication fees.