Hong Kong・2025: International Forum on Design Service & Social Innovation

Official Website：https://michelangelo-scholar.com/Home

1. About the Forum

Design services and social innovation are not new topics, yet they continually evolve with fresh perspectives and expectations. Society has come to recognize the growing influence of cultural values and social dynamics on design challenges—issues that often cannot be resolved through the analysis of surface-level factors alone. Existing design knowledge and experience reveal clear limitations. We attempt to invite outstanding scholars and innovative practitioners to gather in Hong Kong through international forums, share experiences and best practices, and jointly explore how design services can solve complex and challenging problems, promoting sustainable development of society.

One of the challenges we face is that the application of new technologies is changing the old model of design services, and technological tools are attempting to analyze humanistic and emotional needs through quantitative means. Designers are in a passive position to upgrade their service quality.

This forum adheres to the purpose of non-profit academic activities, implements rigorous academic admission and evaluation standards, and adopts an academic route that integrates theoretical research and design practice. This forum consists of three parts: the keynote speech of the main-forum, the oral report of the sub-forum, and the poster display. A "Design Night" exchange session will be arranged for participants to actively promote the new integration of academic research, industrial development, and social practice knowledge. The forum mainly focuses on design science, design criticism, social ethics of design, Artificial Intelligence and Design, vulnerable groups, and Sustainable Design. Our fundamental goal is to harness the transformative power of design research and service innovation, and towards a world of sustained prosperity and greater inclusivity.

2. Main topics

Scope of submission

1. New paradigm： Rethinking the Nature of Innovation

2. Cultural Identity and Design Criticism

3. Social Ethics in Design

4. Artificial Intelligence and Design

5. Design for disadvantaged groups

6. Sustainable Design and Environmental Justice

 Due to the forum's time constraints, the final number of accepted papers will not exceed 20. All accepted papers will be published free of charge in the Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation(JDSSI) (https://michelangelo-scholar.com/JDSSI) and the Journal of Architecture and Urban Design (JAUD) (https://michelangelo-scholar.com/JAUD).

3. Experts

Main-Forum

Forum chairman: Xiangyang Xin

Keynote Speakers

Richard Buchanan, Ph.D., Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

Stephen Boyd Davis, Ph.D., Professor, Royal  College of Art, London

Fangwu Tung, Ph.D., Professor, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu

Shashank Mehta, Principal Faculty, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad

Matthew Robb, Ph.D., Assistant professor, Parsons School of Design, New York

Henry Duh, Ph.D., Professor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

  * Continuously Update (Arrange according to the order of invitations)

4. Important Dates

Deadline for abstract submission（250-300 words）: May 25, 2025 (feedback within 5 working days)

Deadline for paper submission: June 15, 2025

Paper review notification date: June 25, 2025

Registration deadline: August 1, 2025

Submission email: m.scholar2023@gmail.com; mspl-editor@michelangelo-scholar.com

Manuscript requirements 

The Forum accepts English manuscripts only, and the papers should have academic innovation or practical reference value and should not have been publicly published in national and international academic journals and conferences. All submitted papers will be peer-reviewed. The author of the manuscript must submit a Turnitin plagiarism report with the paper. Papers with high plagiarism rates will not be accepted (less than 10% plagiarism and no key points copied). 

After the forum ends, the follow-up work will be improved, and the certificates and registration fee receipts for participating in the forum will be sent in electronic form to the email. The author of the paper needs to actively revise the suggestions put forward by experts. After the final quality review (academic quality and language polishing), the paper will be officially published in two academic journals, JDSSI and JAUD. Oral and Poster are two parallel channels for participation, and there is no difference in the formal publication process.

5. Date and Location

Date: August 6-8，2025

Location: Hong Kong (Hybrid Conference)

Organizer: MICHELANGELO SCHOLAR PUBLISHING LIMITED (MSPL)

6. Registration Fee

[Early-bird ticket]（before June 25th）: 550 USD for individuals; 500 USD for groups (3 people or more)

[Standard ticket]（after June 25th）: 600 USD 

Paper collaborators attending: 300 USD per person

[Conference only] (before June 25th): 500 USD

[Conference only] (after June 25th): 600 USD

Note: Except for specially invited experts, the accommodation and transportation expenses of the participants during the forum will be borne by themselves.