The academic journal Base Diseño e Innovación has released its latest digital issue, titled “Training the Researchers of the Future: Emerging Practices in Design Schools,” a special issue that highlights the growing contribution of students, alumni, and academics to the generation of knowledge in design.
Against a backdrop of increasingly complex social, environmental, and technological challenges, this edition explores how design education is expanding its theoretical, methodological, and epistemological frameworks, establishing research as a fundamental tool for addressing contemporary issues from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Edited by Úrsula Bravo, in collaboration with Giovanna Danies of the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and Trinidad Lazcano of Diseño UDD, this issue brings together works stemming from graduation projects and academic experiences that reflect the increasingly active role of design schools in the production of disciplinary knowledge.
The contributions featured in this issue were written by authors from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, the United States, and India. The articles address topics as diverse as biodesign, sustainability, urban well-being, interdisciplinary innovation, sustainable fashion, and the development of new materials. This geographic and thematic diversity reflects the growing international interest in strengthening design research at the undergraduate level and demonstrates that the questions posed in the call for submissions resonate across a wide range of educational contexts. Taken together, the papers show how senior projects and other educational experiences can serve as spaces for methodological experimentation, material exploration, applied research, and pedagogical reflection, actively contributing to the advancement of knowledge in design.
Since its founding in 2014, Base Diseño e Innovación has established itself as an academic dissemination platform that promotes dialogue between design, innovation, and society, connecting researchers, professionals, and institutions from around the world through free, open-access content.
Check out the new issue here.
New Permanent Undergraduate Research Section
Given the positive reception of this special issue, Base Diseño e Innovación has decided to create a permanent section dedicated to undergraduate research.
The initiative aims to promote the academic dissemination of knowledge generated by students, alumni, and faculty through degree projects, workshops, labs, and other educational experiences.
This new call for submissions is focused on research related to design, research training, interdisciplinary work, and experimentation with materials, technology, and design. We welcome original empirical research articles, teaching-based research, critical or systematic literature reviews, and theoretical articles. Through this initiative, the journal seeks to increase the visibility of emerging researchers and establish a dedicated publication platform for research practices carried out in design schools.
