Conference
DRIVE – Design Related Investigation Conference is organized and promoted by the Master in Design at the School of Media Arts and Design (ESMAD P.PORTO).
Now in its 8th edition, DRIVE has established itself as a key platform for debate, focused on the dynamics of design research. Our aim is to bring together researchers, professionals and students, with particular attention to the scientific and creative work developed within Master’s programs in Design.
Alongside a robust program featuring renowned keynote speakers, DRIVE 2026 continues its focus on the new generation of designers and Master’s students. In this context, we are hosting the 2nd Forum for MA Students in Design, a dedicated space for sharing and dissemination.
We invite all Design Master’s students to submit extended abstracts presenting their research projects, which will then be converted into scientific posters – whether the research is completed or ongoing. Once accepted, the original research proposals must be converted into scientific posters by their authors and will be presented at DRIVE. This is an ideal opportunity to present proposals, discuss results, and foster exchange within a high-quality academic environment.
Date: October 15, 2026
Location: ESMAD Campus 2 P.PORTO, Vila do Conde/Póvoa de Varzim
Audience: Researchers, professionals, Master’s students, students, and design
enthusiasts.
We warmly invite the local, national, and international community to join us in celebrating and advancing research at Design MA’s level.
Committees
- Abel Tavares
- Ângelo Gonçalves
- Cristina Lousada Soares
- Dirk Loyens
- Hugo Vaz
- Lurdes Gomes
- Marta Fernandes
- Pedro Serapicos
- Rita Coelho
- Vitor Quelhas
- Ângelo Gonçalves
- Pedro Serapicos
- Bianca Mota
- Abel Tavares (ESMAD)
- Ana Filomena Curralo (IPVC)
- Ana Mónica Romãozinho (UBI)
- Ana Thudichum Vasconcelos (FBAUL/ CIEba)
- Ângelo Gonçalves (ESMAD)
- Andrew Howard (ESAD)
- Caroline Loss (UBI)
- Cristina Lousada Soares (ESMAD)
- Daniel Brandão (U.Minho)
- Demétrio Matos (IPCA)
- Dirk Loyens (ESMAD)
- Elga Ferreira (ESAD.CR)
- Ermanno Aparo (IPVC)
- Filipe Figueiredo (IADE)
- Flávio Almeida (UBI)
- Gianni Montagna (FAUL)
- Hande Ayanoglu (IADE)
- Horácio Tomé Marques (ESMAD)
- Hugo Vaz (ESMAD)
- Isabel Silva Gouveia (UBI)
- Jeremy Aston (ESAD)
- Joaquim Cruz (U.Aveiro)
- João Brandão (FAUL)
- João Carlos Pinto (ESAD.CR)
- João Cruz (FBAUL)
- João Neves (IPCB)
- Jorge dos Reis (FBAUL)
- José Carneiro (FBAUP)
- José Vicente (ESAD.CR)
- Júlio Dolbeth (FBAUP)
- Lígia Lopes (FBAUP)
- Luciana Barbosa (ESAD)
- Luís Marques Ferreira (U.Aveiro)
- Luís Leite (ESMAD)
- Lurdes Gomes (ESMAD)
- Marco Neves (FAUL)
- Marta Fernandes (ESMAD)
- Marta Madureira (IPCA)
- Marta Nestor (IADE)
- Nuno Martins (IPCA)
- Paulo Dinis (FAUL)
- Paulo Maldonado (U.Évora)
- Pedro Amado (FBAUP)
- Pedro Oliveira (ESMAD)
- Pedro Serapicos (ESMAD)
- Rita Coelho (ESMAD)
- Rodrigo Morais (IADE)
- Rui Dias (IPCB)
- Shujoy Chakraborty (U.Madeira)
- Sílvia Soares (U.Minho)
- Suzana Parreira (FBAUL)
- Telmo Carvalho (ESMAD)
- Teresa Olazabal Cabral (FAUL)
- Vitor Quelhas (ESMAD)
Speakers
Coming soon
Programme
Coming soon
Registration
Registration requires payment of a fee to cover the printing of posters, which will be handled by the DRIVE organization.
At the time of registration, authors must also submit the final version of their poster. Authors of accepted posters will present their work at DRIVE. Their poster will be printed and exhibited, and registration includes:
- Inclusion in the conference program
- Poster printing and exhibition
- Certificate of participation
- Publication in the DRIVE conference proceedings
Authors
- 25 euros (until June 30)
- 30 euros (until July 31)
- 35 euros (until September 14)
ESMAD students and ID+ researchers:
Exempt from the registration fee (poster printing at their own expense).
Audience
Access to DRIVE is free and open to the public.
Registration
Registration payment is not automatic. After registering, participants will receive an email with payment
details. For any inquiries, please contact: drive@esmad.ipp.pt
Registration form (Soon)
Call for extended abstracts/posters
DRIVE 2026 (8th edition) invites the submission of original contributions in the form of extended abstracts presenting the methods, processes, and results or expected results of ongoing or completed work developed in a Master's degree context. Accepted proposals, following blind peer review, should then be converted into posters according to the provided template.
These scientific posters aim to frame the relationship of research in Design and should be indexed to one of the conference's thematic panels:
Requirements
Submitted extended abstracts must follow APA referencing guidelines and use the template available for download.
Submissions must be made via the online form available here.
Languages
The official languages of DRIVE are Portuguese and English.
Review Process
Posters will be evaluated by the Scientific Committee through a double-blind peer review process. Each submission will be anonymized and sent to two or more members of the Scientific Committee, ensuring anonymity for both authors and reviewers. Based on the review process, posters may be: accepted, rejected or accepted with revisions. All reviewer comments must be addressed by the authors in the final submission.
Important Dates
Call for extended abstracts:
until May 15, 2026
Notification of Acceptance:
until June 15, 2026
Registration Phases for Authors
1st phase: until June 30, 2026
2nd phase: until July 31, 2026
3rd phase: until September 14, 2026
Drive
Octobor 15, 2026
Modality and Participation
At least one author of each accepted poster must register and confirm participation. Each registration is valid for one poster only. Additional posters require separate registrations by different authors.
Proceedings book
Accepted posters will be published in the DRIVE conference proceedings (PDF with ISBN)