On 8 June 2026, as part of the Design Research Society Conference, which took place in Edinburgh (https://drs2026.thedrs.org/home), the Rachel Cooper Memorial Prize was launched.
In the McEwan Hall, University of Edinburgh, Peter Lloyd – who has completed his term as Chair of the Executive Board of the DRS – recalled the brilliant career of Distinguished Professor of Design Management and Policy at Lancaster University Rachel Cooper OBE and her long and dedicated association with the Design Research Society, of which she was president when she passed away in July 2025.
The prize was awarded to Josina Vink – Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Norway, and Sofia Bosch Gómez – Northeastern University, USA
The Conference also proudly celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Design Research Society (UK, 1966) during intense 4 days with Papers, Conversations, Explorations, PhD Hub and much more.
At this conference, Fátima Pombo, Nina Costa, Violeta Clemente and Gisela Pinheiro, members of ID+ UA, were active participants, presenting papers, chairing sessions and contributing to the discussions on the future of Design research.