The Conference

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About This Conference

The 16th European Academy of Design Conference — EAD27: Trust — is an international scientific event organised by the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP) and the ID+ Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture, taking place in Porto, Portugal, from 3 to 7 May 2027.

The conference brings together researchers, practitioners, educators, and students to advance knowledge in design research, with a particular focus on the theme of trust: its role in shaping digital, social, cultural, and civic life, and its intersections with transparency, accountability, ethics, and emerging technologies.

EAD27 aims to foster international scientific exchange through peer-reviewed paper presentations, workshops, doctoral colloquium, and keynote sessions, contributing to the consolidation of a global design research community and to the visibility and impact of Portuguese design research institutions at the European and international level.

Expected outcomes include the publication of peer-reviewed proceedings, the strengthening of international research networks, and the promotion of Porto and FBAUP as a reference hub for design research in Europe."

Conference Theme

Who or what do we really trust?

In an era where design pervades every facet of human life, from digital interactions and institutional systems to the intimate textures of daily existence.

Our trust capacity has become indispensable and increasingly fragile.

Whether in AI-mediated decision-making, civic infrastructures, or the invisible networks that undergird global collaboration, design shapes and is shaped by our willingness to extend trust.

Yet, this balance is being tested. Fractures appear amid privacy concerns, algorithmic opacity, and eroding social cohesion.

Trust isn’t static; it’s dynamic, contextual, and often fragile. Yet it remains central to how societies function, relationships thrive, and design systems, including emerging technologies, are mediated.

In light of this, how can design research explore and strengthen the foundations of trust in such a shifting terrain? This question inspires the theme of EAD 2027.

EAD 2027 invites researchers, practitioners, educators, and students to contribute perspectives across various environments:

Public and private, physical and virtual, individual and collective.

We welcome work critically examining trust's intersections with transparency, accountability, ethics, resilience, and meaning-making, especially as these play out in digital governance, platform economies, sustainability, and cross-cultural exchange

This Year's Location: Porto, Portugal

Located in the north of Portugal, Porto is the country’s second-largest city and one of Europe’s most distinctive historic urban landscapes.

The city’s historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, is characterised by its layered architecture, riverside setting along the Douro, and a long tradition of commerce, craft, and cultural exchange.

Known internationally for Port wine, Porto is also increasingly recognised as a dynamic hub for creative industries, design, and cultural research.

Institutional Affiliates

This work is funded by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the project/support UID/04057/2025, https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/04057/2025.

The supported activity concerns the organisation and delivery of the 16th European Academy of Design Conference (EAD 2027), hosted in Porto under the theme TRUST___DISTRUST.

Expected outcomes include the presentation and publication of peer-reviewed research contributions, the strengthening of international research networks, and the consolidation of Portugal’s position as a relevant platform for advanced design research and scientific dialogue.

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.