Designing Futures

Designing Futures is transforming the University of Galway Student Experience. 

Designed to empower, educate and support students to lead better lives and succeed in the complex world we live in. Designing Futures will ensure University of Galway's position as a leader in innovative, student-centred and enterprise-engaged education internationally.

Designing Futures has Three Core Pillars:

Message from Designing Futures Programme Lead

Welcome to the Designing Futures project, empowering, educating and supporting students to lead better lives and succeed in the complex world we live in. Designing Futures will ensure University of Galway's position as a leader in innovative, student-centred and enterprise-engaged education internationally, aligning with and promoting the values of our University Strategy, Shared Vision, Shaped by Values (2020-2025).

The innovative features of Designing Futures include research-led teaching vertically integrated projects (VIPs); cross- and multi-disciplinary learning (transdisciplinary teaching modules ; a bespoke, entrepreneurial space on campus, IdeasLab; and partnership with enterprise and industry, both in the design and delivery. Alongside preparing graduates for the workplace and a fruitful career, higher education remains fundamentally about educating active and critical citizens for the complex and challenging world of today and the DF initiatives enhances our student’s university experience.

  • Transdisciplinary Modules enhance students’ professional skills, designed by experts from across the university and with input from enterprise partners. In so doing, our students have the opportunity to develop their professional skills.
  • VIPs facilitate students to work in teams with faculty on multidisciplinary, longitudinal research projects to address grand challenges. Through participation, students have developed both their research skills and increase engagement across the university community.
  • IdeasLab nurtures students to explore new possibilities with real world impact, and develop creative and innovative skills though educational programming and enterprise specific activities. Given the design centric focus of participation, students have developed empathic understanding and their connections to participating industries.
  • USP-University Skills Passport is a multi-dimensional university student award Framework to recognise student personalised skills development and achievements (curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular).
  • Student Success Coaching supports our students to take an active role in ‘designing their lives’ to achieve their unique academic, personal and life goals during their time at university, and after they graduate.

Advisory Board

The Designing Futures Advisory Board offers independent external guidance and advice, and actively supports the delivery of our mission.

The Advisory Board is comprised of our student and enterprise partners as well as national and international members in a range of fields.

Find out more about the Designing Futures Advisory Board members HERE

Newsletter

Find out more about Student Success Coaching, IdeasLab, Transdisciplinary Modules and Vertically Integrated Projects by signing up for our newsletter.

The Designing Futures newsletter will keep you up to date on all of our news and events throughout the academic year. 

To view previous newsletters or sign up to our email list please visit our Newsletter page.  


Key Facts

1500

1,500+ Students take part in design thinking programmes each year

100+

Students are running their own business or start-up

5+

EU programmes run each year through IdeasLab

9

Enterprise partners from the technology, creative and medtech sectors

600+

Students attending new transdisciplinary modules in 21/22

500+

Engagements with Enterprise annually

Designing Futures Funders ‌