Digital design futures

The Digital Design Network+ wants to showcase the art-of-the possible and benefits that Digital Design can bring to Engineering Design processes. To achieve this, we are creating a set of Digital Design Challenges that provide open-ended briefs where teams can create and compare different re-imaginings of the design process.

Case study 1 is open for applications for UK-based early career academics.
Apply by 23 July 2025 with application details here: https://digitaldesignnetwork.org/challenges/challenge-one/

We are looking for academics with different digital design skills and expertise to tackle Design Challenge One. The task is to re-imagine how we design drones. We have partnered with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield who has recently been through a drone design exercise resulting in a Digital Thread enabled Drone Design process. This will form a point of comparison as well as a platform to build/call upon if required (e.g., access to a pre-made CAD and simulation models for their own derivations/solutions). You can apply individually or in conjunction with colleagues, and the challenge teams will be formulated by the Digital Design Network+ to provide appropriate complementarity.

We want you to tell us how the digital technologies you’re working with could be deployed the make drone design faster, better, with less.

More information about the Digital Design Network Plus (D2N+) can be found on the website: https://digitaldesignnetwork.org/