Language

Italian, English

Start date

January 2026

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

3 Years

Credits

180

The PhD is aimed at researchers who want to deal with the complexity of ongoing transitions to design positive changes and imagine more equitable, supportive and sustainable futures starting from a post disciplinary perspective, open to hybridizations between knowledge and the experimentation of new and unexpected connections.

The PhD programme aims to investigate new interpretative paradigms of Design and the Arts, and their roles, in a fluid, rapidly evolving context, through the experimentation of systemic research methodologies, based on multiple connections and hybridizations, the sublimation of linear disciplinary approaches, in favour of relational and critical, abductive and transdisciplinary readings, which look not only at applications, but also at the implications and impacts of design and creative action.

In this scenario, Design and Art stand as a transformative platform capable of enabling the interconnection between different forms of knowledge, the relationships between different forms of intelligence (human, non-human, other-than-human) and multiple application possibilities, generated by the intersection between design, art, technologies, sciences (human, social, environmental, economic), in a reference value framework based on principles of equity, inclusiveness, responsibility, sustainability and solidarity.

An open and collaborative research environment, an ecosystem in which experiment new hybrid, generative and regenerative methodologies, and apply emerging technologies consciously and responsibly, with a critical, ethical and non-conformist outlook, to go beyond conventional approaches and orient research action towards the common good, care for the planet and shared resources.

The research fields concern the following thematic areas:

  • Collective intelligence and Human - non human creativity
  • Design, Arts and the creative industries in new socio-economic circular environments
  • Cultural Heritage through digital and phygital technologies
  • Smart technologies and bio-materials: unconventional and circular application
  • Data design and information ecology: awareness and knowledge
  • Decolonization, commoning and social good in design and art practices

 

PhD Programme Committee

 

Final admission ranking for the PhD programme – Academic Year 25/26

News

17 July 2026

Priscilla Fois brings her art to Urban Break Korea

IED Roma alumna Priscilla Fois has been selected to participate in Urban Break Korea, one of the leading international festivals dedicated to urban art.

16 July 2026

This Is What the Future of Visual Arts Looks Like

Recent graduates from the IED Barcelona's Graphic Design, Advertising, and Motion Graphics and Video programmes presented their final projects at Barcelona XR Lab. Data, text, image and sound come together to explore the global order and reframe systems for navigating the world.

13 July 2026

IED Barcelona Takes to the Runway at 080 x Cruïlla

Three recently graduated Fashion Design alumni showcased four looks each at the festival’s fashion runway, demonstrating how the new creative voices of the future dress.

13 July 2026

IED Torino presents Mise en Place: space as an ingredient of the dining experience

Eleven projects, eleven visions of tomorrow's restaurant: at Gallerie d'Italia – Turin, the Interior Design Bachelor's Programme explored the dialogue between design, food culture and place.

IED Ranked Among the World's Best Fashion Schools in 2025

10 July 2026

IED Ranked Top 20 Fashion School Worldwide 2026

IED has once again been ranked among the world’s best fashion schools in 2026: 18th place in the CEOWORLD ranking

10 July 2026

Degree Show 2026 opens IED Kunsthal Bilbao to talent, design and the city

Once again, the Papelera Building opened its doors to the public, showcasing the work developed by students over four years of study and turning the school into a meeting point for design, culture, industry and institutions.

06 July 2026

Master of Arts Thesis | Academic Year 2025/2026

The thesis presentations for IED Milano’s Master of Arts begin today, marking the conclusion of the first cycle of the two-year programs in Visual Communication, Interior Design and Product Design.

03 July 2026

“ORA” wins the 3rd IED Alfaro Hofmann Collection Award

The project by IED Barcelona Product Design student Elisaveta Loseva is a tabletop device that reintroduces the sense of smell as a means of creating an emotional connection within the dining experience.

03 July 2026

Substructure: IED in Paris to unveil the framework beneath the garment

Behind the Look: Dover Street Market Paris Hosts IED Milano's Three-Day Fashion Exhibition

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

28 April 2026 - 30 September 2026

Barcelona

“Caliu” in “Matter Matters. Designing with the World”

The project “Caliu”, by IED Barcelona alumnus Judith Aubà, has been selected to form part of this exhibition, which reflects on the major challenges facing design today and in the future at a critical time marked by the scarcity of raw materials.

22 July 2026 - 22 July 2026

Sibiu

The Perfect Stranger: a Fashion Challenge

What happens when a stranger becomes the starting point for a fashion project? Join IED at Feeric Fashion Week for a creative challenge that turns unexpected stories into original fashion outcomes.

28 July 2026 - 31 July 2026

Medellín

IED at Colombia Fashion Week 2026

The most important colombian event in the fashion sector will host more than 500 exhibitors and many themed spaces.