The theme of the Emerge 2026 seminar is Product Design and Innovation. We welcome submissions of the following types:
A full paper presenting original research, containing analysis, interpretation, and argument about a specific research topic, supported by evidence and rigorous research
An essay describing a practice-led research project and reflections on research contribution
A position statement on a methodological, career, or community-building idea relevant to young researchers.
Topics include but are not restricted to:
Pedagogical Interventions and the Future of Product Design Education
Innovative pedagogical models, curriculum frameworks, studio-based learning, interdisciplinary approaches, and competency-driven education in product design, creative thinking, divergent ideation, reframing, co-creation, and innovation capabilities among design students. Submissions may also explore forward-looking perspectives on the future of design education, the evolving role of design schools, ethical considerations in emerging technologies, and shifting professional identities within product design.
Product Design for Emerging Technologies
The impact of frontier technologies such as AI, robotics, digital fabrication, extended reality (XR/VR), IoT, smart materials on product design practice and education. Papers may investigate how these technologies reshape design processes, redefine designer–tool interactions, and transform the learning experiences and roles of designer in contemporary product design.
Sustainability and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Product Design
Sustainable product systems, circular economy approaches, materials innovation, low-impact manufacturing, repairability, emotional durability, and responsible design. Contributions may also explore the integration of indigenous knowledge systems, crafts, local practices, rural innovation, and cultural narratives into product design. Studies on material-driven design, experimentation with emerging materials, prototyping cultures, and the role of making and fabrication in shaping design learning are also encouraged.
Human-Centred Product Design for Healthcare, Inclusivity and Social Impact
Inclusive design, accessibility, elderly care, assistive technologies, participatory design, and socially impactful design interventions. It also includes research on healthcare product design, rehabilitation technologies, regulatory and clinical constraints, prototyping within medical contexts, and pedagogical approaches that prepare students for design challenges in healthcare and social innovation.
Industry–Academia Collaboration and Real-World Projects in Product Design and Innovation
Studies on industry–academia partnerships, live project engagement, internships, user immersion programmes, incubation ecosystems, and models of integrating professional practice within design education. Well-documented product design case studies that illustrate real-world challenges, collaborative processes, and learning outcomes are also welcome.
Any other submission related to Product Design and Innovation
Review committee co-chairs:
Avinash Shende, IIT Bombay
Purba Joshi, IIT Bombay
Review committee:
Supradip Das, IIT Guwahati
Pranav Satpute, IIT Hyderabad
Gaurav Vinodrao Vaidya, IIT Jodhpur
Shir Kumar Verma, IIT Jodhpur
Gaurab Kar, IIT Delhi
Shoubhik Dutta Roy, MITID Pune
Yi-Wen Tseng, National Taiwan Normal University
Submissions will undergo a review process to ensure quality and relevance. After the review process, a submission may be accepted either as a full paper or as a poster / demo. A submission selected as a full paper will be presented at the seminar AND will be archived in the proceedings. A submission selected as a poster / demo will be presented at the seminar, but will NOT be archived in the proceedings.
Submissions will go through two rounds of review. In the first round, Review Committee Chairs will review all submissions and will reject submissions that are not anonymised as per the anonymisation policy, are incomplete, have a low quality, or are off-topic. If a submission is accepted in the first round, it can be presented at the seminar at least as a poster or a demo. Authors will be notified if their submission is being accepted at least as a poster or a demo. This is to facilitate authors to make travel arrangements. Meanwhile, all submissions accepted in the first round will proceed to the second round of review.
In the second round each submission will be subjected to rigorous blind peer review by three expert reviewers. The final decision for accepting or rejecting a paper will be made by the Review Committee Chairs in a PC meeting, after which the authors will be notified of the decisions. Submissions selected in the second round will be accepted as papers, which will be presented at the seminar as well as archived in the proceedings after the seminar.
All acceptances will be conditional pending changes suggested by the reviewers. The accepted papers will be published after the seminar. The authors of each accepted paper will receive detailed instructions on how to submit a final, publication-ready version of the paper. The paper will not be formally accepted for archival until the authors revise it and submit a final draft for approval by the Review Committee Chairs. Until such times, all papers will be considered "conditionally accepted".
Website submission portal opens – December 10, 2025
Submission deadline – January 30, 2026
Notification of acceptance as posters / demos – February 5, 2025
Notification of acceptance as full papers – February 25, 2026
Programme announcement – 1 Mar 2026
Seminar Dates – March 13 to 15, 2026
Camera-ready sdubmission deadline – March 31, 2026
Proceedings – June 30, 2026
Authors should submit manuscripts in the (TBC) format.
All submissions MUST BE ANONYMISED for the review process. I.e. authors must remove their names and affiliations from the manuscript. While citing their own prior work, they must refer to it in third person (for example, say "As found by Dalvi et al., [1]..." and not "As found by us in our earlier work..."). Non-anonymised submissions will be rejected.
Submissions are expected to be between 6000 to 8000 words. There is no hard page limit, but authors are encouraged to submit a paper of length proportional to its contribution.
Reviewing Process: Peer Reviewed
Proceedings: TBC
Length: 6000 to 8000 words, no limit on the page numbers
Anonymous submission: Yes
Online submission: TBC
At least one author for each accepted submission must register and present it at the seminar. Presenters under the age of 35 who have a slected paper, poster or a demo will get a waiver of registration fees. The seminar will also be able to cover travel and accommodation costs for a limited number of presenters under the age of 35. Instructions about this will be sent along with the acceptance notifications.
CMT submission link will be coming shortly