This is a CTP of initiative: DESIS - ID+ DESIS Lab, Aveiro (Portugal)
2011 saw the foundation of the ID+ DESIS Lab. It is considered a critical turning point because it was the culmination of a process, which started in 2009 with the first invitation made from a DESIS founder to a professor at the Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture [ID+] in order to establish a DESIS Lab in this institute and to become a member of DESIS Network:
“in 2011, the ID+ DESIS Lab was institutionalized as a research group inside the ID+ Institute. It had been an informal laboratory, but in 2011 it was registered formally in the statutes of the Portuguese system as a research group”.
The review of DESIS documents indicated that DESIS Labs based in Design Schools and design-oriented universities could be extensions of already existing entities or new, specifically established ones. This statement was considered in the constitution of the DESIS Lab in the ID+ Institute. The institute was already established as a research unit in 2011 and included not only social innovation, but also other areas of design theory and practice in its activities.
The DESIS Lab was founded in 2011 as a research group, to operate as part of the +ID Institute. The ID+ DESIS Lab is organized around the following main themesthat are related to social innovation: service design and strategic design for sustainability; education for creativity and innovation; design for the empowerment of local economies and local knowledge.
Two moments were decisive for the foundation of the ID+ DESIS Lab.
In 2011, the DESIS Network started the process of registering the networks affiliates (still in an informal way). Submissions were analysed by a group composed by older members, already running DESIS Labs in their own institutions. Therefore, the ID+ DESIS Lab was registered as a research group operating as part of the ID+ institute. The registration of the DESIS Lab in 2011 was the result of activities on social innovation that were developed from 2009 onwards, which were recognized by internal and external actors.
In 2014, when the DESIS Network formally became a non-profit association under Italian law, all affiliations were updated, which included ID+. In 2013, the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology), which operates under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal:
“asked all research institutions, departments and units, such as the ID+ Institute, to map and submit a formal registration of their research groups. The idea to formalize DESIS as one of the groups was in the focus of the discussions held in the ID+”.
There are many professors formally affiliated with the ID+ DESIS Lab, but it is mainly operated “by two professors together with the graduate students”.
2008 - The name DESIS – Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability was created by its founder. Since 2009, the founder has developed the network by supporting the creation of its first labs.
2011 – Formalisation of the DESIS Network began. The DESIS Network’s informal members started to map the characteristics of the DESIS Labs and to register the affiliations. During this process the ID+ DESIS Lab was created.
2013 - FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology asked for formal registration of research groups in Portugal. FCT, which operates under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal, asked all research institutions, departments and units, such as the ID+ Institute, to map and submit formal registration of its research groups .
2014 – DESIS Network is formalized as an association. The DESIS Network organized as a non-profit association under Italian Law structured its activities. This included specific duties and rights for members and the organization of an annual assembly.
2016 – Professor is associated to the ID+ DESIS Lab. An early career professor who had just finished their thesis on social innovation, became a new member. The groups started to gather researchers who were involved with design for social innovation in Portugal.
There was no contestation to the foundation of the Desis Lab. However there was a contestation in the process: “I must admit that there was a lot of resistance from colleagues who did not consider the area (design for social innovation) as important”.
This resistance is being progressively overcome.
The following events supported this (some of them described in the previous CTPs): (1) the success in terms of number of students that wanted to be enrolled in the course “Social Ergonomics of Design”, which was later called “Design for Social Innovation”;
(2) the project “Action for Age” in which the practice of design for social innovation gained recognition also at a high administrational level within the university as a useful approach to tackle social issues, which generated a word-of-mouth dissemination and increased the reputation of this new design field in the university, which brought new contacts and possible projects;
(3) the project “What do we eat” in which design for social innovation gained recognition with the public administration in the city of Aveiro and the first Masters dissertation was developed in the ID+;
(4) the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology in Portugal), asked the research units (as ID+) to establish research groups, which helped to recognize design for SI as a research activity.
One of the challenges was to define a group of professors among those working as ID+ institutional partners that were willing to develop the topic of Design for Social Innovation. It was a requirement from the FCT( Foundation for Science and Technology), that the research groups should be composed of at least three senior lecturers or professors. Early-career professors and PhD students were not eligible. This was later overcome:
“we had conversations with professors whose activities were developed in fields that were somehow related to design for social innovation. It included professors who were working with participatory design processes with local communities, although the focus was on the promotion of artisanship. By these means, we achieved the minimum number required for the formalization to occur”.
Regarding the formalization of the group; “at that time, I do not think that we had enough participants to be able to formally create a research group. However in effect we were already operating as a group”.
Internationalization had been a key priority for the ID+ Institute and the affiliation to the DESIS Network opened up new possibilities for international collaborations and access to international initiatives in the network. Therefore, the affiliation was aligned with the ID+ institute’s strategy.
The ID+ Institute is also member also of the Cumulus Network (International Association of Universities of Art, Design and Media). The two networks, Cumulus and DESIS, have a partnership in which the DESIS Network’s events take place at the Cumulus conferences.
A strategy had been developed in order to create the right conditions for the ID+ to affiliate with the DESIS network. There was a need to create a “critical mass” in order to constitute the lab, i.e., a group of professors and students that were involved in design for social innovation.
In terms of didactics, the course “Social Ergonomics of Design” (2010) allowed the inclusion of the topic “design for social innovation” in the educational process that was provided to Master’s students, enabling them to get access to knowledge in the field. Later the course was called “Design for Social Innovation” (2012).
The University’s activities using design for social innovation started with two projects; the “Action for Age” project in which solutions to foster intergenerational relations were developed in the neighbourhoods of the city of Aveiro and the “What do we eat” project in which a teaching’ kit and recreational materials were conceived and provided for students to promote healthier food habits in the poorest neighbourhoods of the city.
Both (didactics and projects) were crucial in the affiliation process.
Many of the ID+ DESIS Lab’s activities are based in cities. Students are invited to explore local areas looking for social innovation cases, and developing solutions in a participatory approach with citizens.
This is considered important because people are considered the main assets to building a new society:
“They (the students) had an education in design that was focused on fostering a productive and industrial attitude, and we told them: - You guys can use everything you have learned in a different way, to produce and help people to collaborate with each other. They (the students) replied that this made sense. For me, I feel pride to be able to prepare students in this way”.
The association with the DESIS Network brought in international support from other Labs in the world that were aligned with this specific view of design practices, which reinforced innovative actions and projects at a local level, by bringing the reputation of an international network.
The DESIS Network also connected the ID+ Institute with other design schools and institutes that were also exploring new approaches to design practices.
It provided (and provides) mutual support in the process of promoting changes in the teaching of design at a local level, by exchanging experiences and practices.
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