Design United at the Dutch Design Week 2025

4TU.Design United will exhibit the latest design research conducted at the four Universities of Technology in the Netherlands during the Dutch Design Week this October! Do you have innovative work to share, mind-changing ideas to spread, prototypes to show, or interesting approaches to discuss? Consider participating and submit your work!

DDW Mission days

This year, we are connecting again with the Dutch Design Week mission days: 

• Living Environment
  Designing for a better quality of life through innovations in urban planning, mobility, and sustainable materials.
• Thriving Planet
  Strengthening the planet’s natural resilience through sustainable design—or at the very least, ensuring that design does not stand in its way.
• Digital Future
  Exploring and shaping digital realities and futures, from virtual worlds and AI to global platforms and personal digital experiences.
• Health & Wellbeing
  Design that enhances our food, healthcare, happiness, and the most valuable asset we have: our health.
• Equal Society & Politics of Design
  The (re)design of systems and interactions is a contested process. How do we deal with power dynamics in design?

Less Hope, More Action!

In these missions, we advocate not to be paralyzed in the face of ecological crises, threats to democracy, and political unrest. Instead, we aim to act with a sense of optimism—one that, as Dutch writer Tommy Wieringa suggests, doesn't have to rely on hope. That's why the theme of this year’s Design United editions at DDW is: “Less Hope, More Action!”

Submissions should use the form on the 4TU website. If you wish to update an already submitted project, upload a new form with the original project title and add a note. Submitted projects will be stored on GDPR approved media and will be handled with confidentiality.

What to submit

1. Title of the project
2. Abstract (200 words max)
3. One representative image (hero shot)
4. Author(s) and affiliation(s)
5. Submitter name(s), email(s) and affiliation(s)
6. To which DDW Mission day topic(s) it fits
7. Description of how the project fits this years’ theme “Less Hope, More Action!” (200 words max)
8. Documentation file (e.g. report, paper, photos, drawings) size (max 50mb or link)
9. Link to video (if available)
10. Description of an interactive audience experience (e.g., as part of the DU.Exhibit or DU.Dialogue sessions) (200 words max and optional image)

Review Process

Stage 1: Desk Rejection 

We only desk reject projects that clearly do not match the criteria mentioned below.
Notification by June 16.

• Is the work showcasing design research?
• Is the project documentation complete? (e.g. does it have sufficient documentation to enter the review process),
• If applicable: is the project expected to be ready for the DDW in October 2025? 
• Is the work submitted by (a) student(s) or researcher(s) from 4TU?
  (having collaborators outside 4TU, like companies, institutions, and individuals, is ok!)

Stage 2: Project Review

The remaining projects will be reviewed by DU.Theme teams consisting of experienced design researchers and curated by the DU.Management Team. 

Notification by July 2. 

We score projects on the following assessment criteria:

• Quality of the Design Research project (Process, Artefact(s), Insights)
• Fit within one of more of the DDW Mission day topics 
• Level of reflection on this years’ Design United theme, “Less Hope, More Action!”
• Audience Experience (DU.Exhibit) and/or propositions for debate (DU.Dialogue sessions)

We deal with Conflicts of Interest in line with the ACM https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/conflict-of-interest
We aim to select 40-50 projects for the DU.eMagazine of which 7-10 projects are selected to be showcased at the DU.Exhibit. The number of projects that will be included in the DU.Dialogue sessions varies depending on the selected discussion formats.

Timeline

• Submission deadline: June 13 (AoE)
• Notification of Desk Rejections June 16
• Notification of acceptance: July 2
• Finalizing Documentation including video: September (exact date t.b.d.)
• Finalizing Exhibits: October (exact date t.b.d.)
• Installing Exhibits at Dutch Design Week: October 16&17
• Dutch Design Week: October 18-26

About Design United

Design United is the 4TU research centre for design, the leading platform for Design Research in the Netherlands. Design United operates at the intersection of advanced scientific research, fast-moving emerging technologies, and the shifting needs and dreams of our future societies.

Please contact your local representative for questions:

Dr.ir. Daniel Saakes, University of Twente
Dr.ing. Marco Rozendaal, Delft University of Technology
Dr. Lenora Ditzler, Dr.ir. Gert Jan Veldwisch, Wageningen University Research
Prof.dr.ir Stephan Wensveen, Eindhoven University of Technology