The LearnXDesign 2025 – Intertwinia in Design Education conference took place on 22, 23 and 24 September at DECA UA, bringing together 180 participants from 26 countries, inspiring them to be agents of change, crossing their lines of research and discovering new research perspectives for the future. In addition to presentations of submitted papers, the conference programme included panel discussions, workshops and collaborative projects designed to promote the intertwining of the delegates’ collective knowledge and experiences.
The opening session featured a musical performance by the Aquila Ensemble quintet, comprising Gonçalo Godinho – Violin, Maria Inês Oliveira – Violin, Lara Castro – Viola, Matilde Ventura – Cello, and Gabriela Ventura – Clarinet. Also present were the Vice-Rector, Professor Artur Silva, the director of DeCA, Professor Ana Veloso, the director of ESAN, Professor Martinho Oliveira, the director of ID+, Professor Fátima Pombo, the Convenor of the Design Research Society (DRS) Education Special Interest Group, Professor Derek Jones, and the general chair of the conference, Professor Violeta Clemente. The conference featured Professor Paul Hekkert and Professor Katja Tschimmel as keynote speakers, as well as Professor Emília Duarte, Professor Heitor Alvelos, and Professor Rita Almendra as roundtable chairs.

This conference fostered meaningful interactions, expanded traditional boundaries, and encouraged the intersection of expertise. By intertwining these threads, it achieved its goal of catalysing unexpected and transformative outcomes for design education, leading to the creation of a new Intertwinia.