UnBoxed 2026

The non-traditional conference on teaching and learning across the Design Factory Global Network

October 5 - 6, 2026

RTU Design Factory, Riga, Latvia

Submit a demonstration, fishbowl, or pitch

All submissions are due on May 18, 2026.

What is UnBoxed?

UnBoxed is the Design Factory Global Network's (DFGN) non-traditional conference on teaching and learning. It is dedicated to sharing practices, methods, tools, and learning setups that educators and practitioners have actually tried, in real programmes, with real students. Unlike traditional academic conferences, UnBoxed values experience over polish, and conversation over presentation.

UnBoxed takes place annually as part of the International Design Factory Week (IDFW), the DFGN's flagship annual gathering where two representatives from each Design Factory meet to share practices, plan collaborations, and strengthen ties across the network. Participation in UnBoxed is open to the broader public; IDFW itself is a closed event for network representatives.

More about the organisers

UnBoxed 2026 theme

Learning on
the Edge

Across Design Factories, learning has always taken place at the edge of what is known, predictable, or comfortable. That is where the real work gets done.

This year, the Design Factory Global Network turns 15. It is a moment not just to celebrate, but to examine ourselves honestly: what are we actually doing at these edges, and what have we learned from it?

UnBoxed 2026 invites practitioners, educators, and researchers to share the practices, tools, methods, and learning setups you have tried in edge conditions. What worked? What failed? What surprised you? Whether you have radically reinvented an established practice or quietly moved the needle in your own context, the network has something to learn from your experience.

Explore the tracks and formats

UnBoxed 2026 special submission opportunity!

Research Idea

This year, we have a special submission format opportunity outside the regular theme, tracks, and formats: Research Ideas.

Do you have an idea to research something in your Design Factory but don't quite know where to start? Wondering what it takes to publish a study you're developing? Have you envisioned a research article but need some peer-support to get it written? Fear not, as the Research Idea Booster workshop is your answer!

Prepare your short pitch and register for the Research Idea Booster, held on 6 October as part of the Unboxed Conference. This session offers you a chance to put your research ideas into words, get rich feedback from the community and academic experts, and gain knowledge on the multitude of ways to get your research published. Your goal can be anything from starting data collection to publishing a journal article, but this session will provide you with the confidence to get there.

Submissions are due on May 18 through a Webropol survey separate from the regular submissions, coming here soon!