The funded projects of the Department of Design and their interactions with the basic design research

The chapter first describes what is design research and which is the cur- rent landscape at the international level, providing an overview of the re- search activity carried on in the Department of Design to then look into the topics addressed by its funded research. The ambition is to depict the re- search landscape that emerges from the research projects accessed through competitive funds, gaining insights into how the funded research influences the basic research. In this framework, the chapter faces two relevant dimen- sions: (i) the interactions between the funded research and the department re- search profile and identity, and (ii) the relation between the funded research and the basic design research topics, exploring the continuity, discontinuity and interactions among the two strands. The analysis shows discrepancies between areas that the Department covers with its basic research and topics on which it obtains funding and vice versa. The funded research highlights, on the one hand, the occurrence of new areas which go beyond the thematic clusters of the basic research. On the other hand, it also reveals the disap- pearance of traditionally established domains of investigation, opening the discussion on how the research reached advanced levels of conceptualis- ation and specialisation. Ultimately, the chapter discusses how the attraction of funds impacts the Department’s research, refocusing some strands and strengthening its capacity to influence ongoing transformations, leveraging the potential of design.