The conference welcomes contributions across multiple formats, including papers (with oral presentations), working papers, panels/roundtables, colloquia (conversational sessions), workshops (explorations), and other experimental or participatory formats. The Conference welcomes contributions that respond to the following sub-themes:

TRACK 1 - Bridging Design Education and Practice This theme examines innovative approaches that connect academic learning with real-world design challenges and professional environments. It welcomes contributions on industry–academia collaboration, practice-informed pedagogy, and educational models that prepare graduates for contemporary design practice.

TRACK 2 - Speculative Design and Strategic Foresight | Emerging Technologies for Human Well-being This theme explores imaginative design scenarios and foresight methodologies that help anticipate future societal transformations. It also investigates how emerging technologies can enhance human health, comfort, accessibility, and quality of life, including work on responsive environments, digital tools, data-informed design, and human-centred innovation.

TRACK 3 - Climate Crisis and Materialities | Regenerative Design Practices This theme focuses on design responses to environmental urgency through materials, systems, and practices that reduce harm and actively restore ecosystems. It welcomes research and projects on circularity, low-carbon and bio-based materials, climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, and regenerative approaches across scales.

TRACK 4 - (Co)Designing Practices | Diversity and Inclusion in Design This theme highlights collaborative and participatory design methodologies that integrate multiple stakeholders and diverse perspectives in creative problem-solving. It also addresses equity and inclusion in design disciplines, including accessibility, representation, inclusive pedagogy, community co-production, and strategies to dismantle structural barriers.

TRACK 5 - Decolonial Perspectives | (Re)Interpreting Cultural Heritage This theme reframes design narratives through indigenous knowledge, situated practices, and alternative cultural understandings. It welcomes contributions that question dominant frameworks, explore plural heritage narratives, and propose approaches to conservation, interpretation, and contemporary design that respect local identities and living cultures.

• Massimo Imparato, Dean, School of Architecture and Interior Design, CUD
• Simona Azzali, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Interior Design, CUD
• Sophie Johnson, Chair of Interior Design Department, School of Architecture and Interior Design, CUD
• Constantin Spiridonidis, Chair of Architecture Department, School of Architecture and Interior Design, CUD
• Bandar Alkahlan, General Director: Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST)
• Janet Bellotto, Dean, College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi
• Amir Berbic, Dean, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Doha – Qatar
• Roberto Fabbri, Chair of Design, Zayed University
• Kevin Mitchell, Professor, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah
• Louise Valentine, Chair of Design Leadership, Heriot Watt University, Dubai Campus

Academic Papers
Intended for completed research. Submissions follow the official proceedings template (Word). Full paper length: minimum 8 pages and maximum 12 pages, including figures and tables. Accepted papers undergo a double-blind peer review process. Camera-ready papers will be considered for publication in the conference proceedings.

Working Papers
Intended for research in progress, open to master’s students, doctoral candidates, practitioners, and educators. Working papers are designed to share emerging findings, methods, reflections, and work-in-progress outcomes, with space for discussion and feedback during the conference.

Conversations (90 minutes)
Facilitated, participatory sessions designed to bring a limited number of participants into focused dialogue and collective reflection. Conversations prioritise interaction over presentation and are curated to generate new questions, insights, and shared provocations.

Explorations (maximum 90 minutes)
Hands-on or experiential formats beyond the traditional paper (e.g., workshops, guided activities, prototyping sessions, labs, visual-led or immersive sessions). Proposals should clearly describe participation design, logistics, required materials/space, and how outcomes will be documented.

The conference submission portal link will be published shortly on this page.

Abstract requirements
Abstracts should be between 150 and 300 words and include 3–5 keywords. The abstract should clearly state the topic, aim, approach/method, and key contribution.

Submission process

• Step 1 Abstract submission: submit your abstract for review (all tracks).
• Step 2 Notification: if accepted, you will receive a decision and further instructions.
• Step 3 Full paper submission (for proceedings): accepted authors may be invited to submit a full paper for double-blind peer review and potential inclusion in the conference proceedings. Full papers should be 8–12 pages (including figures and tables) and follow the official proceedings template.
• Step 4 Camera-ready submission: if your full paper is accepted, you will submit a final camera-ready version by the stated deadline.

Alternative formats (colloquia and workshops)
For colloquia (Conversations) and workshops (Explorations), please submit a short proposal including title, objectives, structure/timing, facilitation plan, participation setup, and any space/material requirements.

Student Competition submissions
In addition to academic submissions, the conference includes a Student Competition (photography-led), open to students and recent graduates. Participants submit a short photo-series and a brief statement; full details are provided in the Student Competition section.

The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS (all tracks)
Open: 1 February 2026
Deadline: 16 April 2026
Notification of acceptance: 5 May 2026

FULL PAPER SUBMISSIONS
Open: 1 May 2026
Deadline: 16 July 2026
Notification of acceptance: 16 September 2026
Camera-ready deadline: 16 October 2026

COLLOQUIA (Conversations, 90 minutes)
Submission deadline: 1 June 2026

WORKSHOPS (Explorations, max 90 minutes)
Submission deadline: 1 June 2026

STUDENT COMPETITION (Photography-led)
Launch: 15 May 2026
Submission deadline: 1 September 2026
Winners announced: 7 November 2026

REGISTRATIONS
Early Bird: 1 May – 31 July 2026
Regular: 1 August – 15 October 2026

CONFERENCE DAYS
Thursday 5 – Sunday 8 November 2026

PROCEEDINGS
Expected publication: Q3 2027

Venue: Canadian University Dubai, City Walk, Dubai
Dates: November 5 – 8, 2026

The conference includes a student competition in a photography-led format, open to students in architecture, interior design, urban studies, landscape, media, and related disciplines (including recent graduates). The competition invites participants to explore everyday urban living and the relationship between built environments and daily routines, informal practices, and lifestyle.

Students are invited to submit one small photo-series that captures how places are actually used and experienced, through spaces, thresholds, streetscapes, interiors, material textures, shadows, human traces, and the small adaptations that make cities liveable. Submissions can address themes such as lived urban scenes, regenerative material stories (maintenance, repair, care), and contemporary interpretations of heritage as everyday practice. Selected works will be showcased in a hybrid exhibition, combining a physical display during the conference and an online gallery. Winners and selected entries may also be featured across conference communication channels, with full author credit.

Submission and basic requirements
Each participant submits one project consisting of a short photo-series (three images) and a brief text (a short statement of about 200 words) describing where the work was produced, what it shows, and why it matters, plus basic metadata (location and date/period). location and date/period).

Rights and ethics
Participants must own the submitted images and ensure they do not violate privacy or copyright. By submitting, participants grant the conference a non-exclusive right to display and publish the work for non-commercial, conference-related communication, always with full credit to the author.

Discounts and Waiving Opportunities

• 20% from the announced fees for low-income countries according to the World Bank classification mentioned in the document below (applicable to the regular payment stage)
• 25%: If multiple abstracts are submitted by the same first author to the conference, a 25% discount is applied to each additional submission according to the deadline for payments.

* Participants can use only one type of discount opportunity, which meets their preferences.
* Authors should contact the conference manager through this email designconference@cud.ac.ae to consider the discount and waiver for all the above cases so that the conference manager can provide an exclusive invoice for each case.

Proof of capability to get the discount:

• A copy of a student enrolment card for 2026 is essential.
• A copy of passport for authors from low-income countries. Added below is the list of low and middle-income countries according to the World Bank classification.

Countries List

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo Dem. Rep., Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Refund Policy

1. Eligibility

Delegates who cancel their registration due to special circumstances may receive a refund according to the cancellation schedule below. Refunds, where applicable, are calculated as the paid fee minus the stated penalty.

2. Cancellation schedule (penalty applied)

• Up to 60 days before the event: 20% penalty
• Up to 50 days before the event: 50% penalty
• Up to 40 days before the event: 70% penalty
• 39 days or less before the event: 100% penalty (no refund)

3. Exceptions (no refund possible)

A refund is not possible if:

• A final acceptance letter has been issued (authors only)
• The proceedings have been published (authors only)
• A visa invitation letter has been issued (all participants)

4. Visa rejection cases

In case of visa rejection, the reason and proof of rejection must be submitted to the conference secretariat.

If the rejection is due to an error attributable to the conference/organisers, the participant will be refunded the full fee with a deduction of a 20% administration fee.

If the rejection is not related to the above and results from an error on the participant’s side, the following applies:

• Authors may choose to have a co-author present their work on their behalf at no additional cost. If there is no co-author, a member of the scientific committee may present on the author’s behalf.
• Audience members/registrants may be offered the option to attend another similar event of their choosing, subject to availability, at no additional registration cost.

5. Notes

All refund requests must be submitted in writing to the conference secretariat from the registered email address and include proof of payment. Processing times may vary depending on payment method and bank procedures.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the same refund rules apply to both in-person and online registrations.