Overview

Design is ubiquitous; it pervades all spheres of life, and has been around as long as life has taken up the task of purposefully changing the world around it. Research into design and the emergence of a research community in this area has been relatively new. Its development has been influenced by the multiple facets of design (human, artefact, process, organisation, the micro- and macro economy and the ecology by which design is shaped) and the associated diversification of the community depending on the facets of focus or that of their applications. Design is complex, balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders, and requiring a multitude of areas of knowledge to be utilised, and resources spread across space and time.

ICoRD'27 is the eleventh in a series of conferences intended to be held every two years in India to bring together the international community from diverse areas of design practice, education and research. Explore the dynamic world of design research at ICoRD'27 from January 6th to 9th, 2027, at the Department of Design and Manufacturing, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. ICoRD'27 is organised under the auspices of DeScIn: India's Academy of Design Sciences. This eleventh edition of the biennial conference delves into the multifaceted nature of design, showcasing original research and fostering collaboration. It aims to showcase cutting-edge research about design to the stakeholders; aid the ongoing process of developing and extending the collective vision through emerging research challenges and questions; and provide a platform for interaction, collaboration and development of the community for it to take up the challenges to realize the vision. This event and platform brings together practitioners, researchers, pupils, and educators in a vibrant space where technology and human experience intersect. Join us in shaping the future of design innovation.

ICoRD was initiated by DM, IISc, Bengaluru in 2006. Since then, it has been hosted in 2009, 2011 (both at IISc), 2013 (at IIT Madras), 2015 (IISc), 2017 (IIT Guwahati), 2019 (IISc), 2021 (IIT Bombay), 2023 (IISc) and 2025 (IIT Hyderabad). DM has pioneered design research in India. IISc is one of India's leading science and technology institutions and is one of the Institutes of Eminence (IoE) decreed by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. ICoRD’27 is organised by the Department of Design and Manufacturing, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. The proceedings of ICoRD’27 will be published as a book by Springer.

ICoRD’27 will be hosted in Bangalore, the ‘Silicon Plateau’ of the world, where an accelerating ecosystem of research, design and start-ups is redefining products, systems and services through artificial intelligence. It is only appropriate that the theme for ICoRD'27 aligns with this ambiance.

Theme of ICoRD’27

The theme for ICoRD’27 is “Design of AI, Design by AI, Design with AI”. Artificial Intelligence, commonly termed AI, is transforming all areas of research, practice and education. Design plays a role in all three ways in which it influences and gets influenced by AI. The first is design of AI: how should AI be designed to serve society in a humane and responsible manner? The second is Design by AI: what tasks should be automated by AI, and how? The third is Design with AI: what design tasks should be carried out by combining the complementary strengths of humans and AI?

ICoRD'27 is organised and hosted by DM, IISc Bangalore. The proceedings of ICoRD’27 will be published as a book by Springer. Extended versions of a selected set of papers from ICoRD’27 will be recommended for fast-track review for possible publication in AI EDAM Journal (Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, Cambridge Univ. Press, IF 2.3: see link.

The conference will have:

• Invited/keynote presentations from eminent international experts and practitioners;
• Presentations of refereed papers as podium, poster, panel or theme presentations
• Presentations on perspectives from industry and studies in practice?
• Presentation of ICoNNN Awards and Keynotes
• Doctoral Symposium
• Networking Sessions for Young researchers
• Workshop Sessions