We are open for collaboration

We believe that design research works best when responding to real world needs through partnerships with institutions, industry and professionals who can bring disciplinary expertise and on-the-ground knowledge. Designing ‘with’ rather than merely ‘for’ people. The research projects that we undertake range in scale from short term projects working with a single collaborator to multi partner EU funded projects.

We offer a diverse range of design experience and the capacity to embed a design-led research approach in new or existing research projects. Using a combination of design tools and digital prototyping we can quickly visualise, produce and test ideas to support a research process that is driven by real world evaluation and iteration.

Modes of Engagement

Postgraduate Collaborations
Design Sprint	1 week
Design Project	3-6 week
Partnered Major Project	12 week
Funded Transdisciplinary Research
Short Term Research Projects	3-12 months
Long Term Multi-partner Research Projects	1-5 years

Our collaborators value the benefits of embedding a design-led approach in their research as can be seen in the testimonials below.

"What stands out most, is how through combining traditional health services research methods and human-centred design approaches we more deeply understood the contexts of the challenges we aimed to address and designed interventions that were both evidence-based and people-centred."Michelle Flood
Senior Lecturer & RCSI PPI Ignite Network Site Lead. School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences (PBS)

"Our collaboration with NCAD helped identify key steps in the manufacturing process that have a disproportionate impact on the environment."Dr. Liz McGloughlin
CEO Tympany Medical

"Our healthcare teams and managers recognise the value that design methodology brings through its focus on human factors, intuition, risk taking and creativity. Many of the solutions that have emerged are now enhancing patient experience, resolving wayfinding challenges, addressing quality and safety issues, empowering patients through enhanced educational and support tools"Siobhan Manning
Service Innovation & Design Lead, Mater Transformation

Contact us

We welcome enquiries to collaborate on applied research projects particularly those with a focus on health, learning and the circular economy.

designlabs@ncad.ie

If you are interested in Postgraduate or Doctoral study at NCAD please follow the links below:

MA Interaction Design

MSc Medical Device Design

MA Service Design (part-time)

MA Design for a Circular Economy (part-time)

Doctoral Study at NCAD

For commercial and industry led collaboration:

Origin8 – NCAD’s industry gateway and innovation hub
Origin8 is a centre for commercialisation and innovation, where campus spin-outs work to establish their business and design researchers collaborate with companies across a range of industries.

If your company is interested in exploring design solutions or is looking to research a new aspect of your work, or if you’re a design start-up looking to develop your business, then Origin8 is the place for you.