DESIS is a no-profit and cultural association, with the purpose to promote design for social innovation in higher education institutions with design discipline so as to generate useful design knowledge and to create meaningful social changes in collaboration with other stakeholders.
who we are
Through conversations with representatives of DESIS Network labs, it is possible to observe how active they are in fostering social innovation at a local level. Since its foundation, DESIS Network has recognized the value of its labs. Design for social innovation and sustainability is being built (in theory and practice) through all these experiences.
WORK WITH US
Design for social innovation can find in the design schools a major driver for its application and diffusion. In fact, design schools (and, more in general, all the design-oriented universities) can orient their didactic and research activities towards social innovation.
International coordination “special project”
Plan proposed by the IC (international coordinator) candidate Carla Cipolla and approved in the DESIS Assembly – Cumulus Hong Kong:
Carla Cipolla (desis.coordination@gmail.com)
DESIS Lab coordinator – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) – Coppe
This coordination plan is based on the following premises:
- the need to reinforce the knowledge building/ exchange processes among DESIS members;
- the need to increase the reputation of DESIS Network, to be recognized as a significant actor in the field of social innovation issues;
- the need to increase the sense of a “shared ownership” of the network among members;
- the need to foster diversity by increasing participation and knowledge exchange processes with labs outside Europe;
- the need to increase interaction with other disciplinary fields.
This international coordination plan relies on a very simple question: who are we?
Through conversations with representatives of DESIS Network labs, it is possible to observe how active they are in fostering social innovation at a local level. Since its foundation, DESIS Network has recognized the value of its labs. Design for social innovation and sustainability is being built (in theory and practice) through all these experiences.
This plan has the following aims:
- to collect and analyse the DESIS Labs practices and communicate the state-of-the-art of DESIS Network production;
- organize and analyse the DESIS Labs projects with the aim of giving them visibility by identifying main sectors and frameworks that are being developed, with particular focus on embracing diversity and including Labs from all regions of the globe.
As well as the formal activities required by the Statute, the DESIS Assemblies will be organized to support the knowledge exchange process promoted during the preparation of the DESIS report.
The IC will also invite regional members (by continent or region) to create a joint reflection on the characteristics of projects being developed in their region; for example, specific DESIS workshops in conferences and other activities all over the world (organized by DESIS Labs coordinators).
MEMBERSHIP
DESIS Network’s purpose is “to promote design for social innovation in higher education institutions with design discipline so as to generate useful design knowledge and to create meaningful social changes in collaboration with other stakeholders.”
DESIS Network’s purpose is “to promote design for social innovation in higher education institutions with design discipline so as to generate useful design knowledge and to create meaningful social changes in collaboration with other stakeholders.” Applying members who share the same vision and fulfil the following requirements will become DESIS Labs.
Members can be legally constituted higher education institutions or Universities with design disciplines (hereinafter referred to also only as “higher education institutions” or only as “Universities”), private or public, sharing DESIS motivations and visions and supporting DESIS activities (Labs projects, international Initiatives, Platform improvements).
Once the Membership Request Letter and its attachments have been received by the International Coordination Committee, they will be analysed in order to verify if the formal requirements are satisfied. On this basis, feedback will be send to the interested teams.
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