Talents in Residence program
Talents in Residence (TiR) is the pre-incubation program that supports the realization of innovative ideas developed by young designers at the Politecnico di Milano. Polifactory offers this opportunity free of charge to Master’s and PhD students in Design to support the implementation of their theses and the experimental phase of their doctoral research. The TiR program is based on an experiential learning path that combines learning-by-doing and peer-to-peer learning, designed to give young designers the opportunity to bring their projects to life: from prototyping IoT solutions to experimenting with technologies and processes for digital manufacturing in the fields of product and service design, fashion and interior design, interaction design, and design engineering.
Accessing the Talents in Residence program means learning and using experimental practices such as making and hacking, digital fabrication and self-production, and open and distributed design. Furthermore, young designers can gain firsthand insight into how spaces like makerspaces work, engage in design, experimental, and cultural activities organized by and at Polifactory, and collaborate with other students and engage with faculty, researchers, and innovators from various disciplines.
Applying for the Open Call
Master’s Degree students in Design can apply to the Talents in Residence program’s Open Call by choosing one of the research areas offered by Polifactory. Applying for the program is simple; there are no deadlines.
Interested in participating? Here’s what you need to do:
- Consult the research areas listed below and choose the one that’s right for you;
- Download the proposal form and fill it out (link to the form);
- Send the form with your CV and free-format portfolio to talents@polifactory.it
Research Areas
On an annual basis, Polifactory defines a set of research areas that can be implemented through research projects, experimental initiatives, and cultural and/or training activities. Three research areas are currently active at Polifactory:
- Urban transitions and more-than-human cities
- Design and empowered fabrication
- Impactful healthcare and care systems
Those wishing to apply for the Talents in Residence program must ensure that their project is consistent with one of these research areas.
Area 1 / Urban transitions and more-than-human cities
This research area explores the transformation of urban metabolisms and the regeneration of cities according to the principles of circularity, sustainability, and inclusion, enhancing the role of nature in the well-being of all living beings. Particular attention is given to behavioral change in individuals and organizations, considered a driver of social and environmental impact.
Thesis developed in this area range from the design or redesign of circular objects to the development of tools to improve resilience and citizen participation. Another area of research concerns the development of products and services that foster the human-nature relationship and inclusive urban regeneration, including for non-human ecosystems.
Here are possible research theses we would like to develop at Polifactory:
- Design and digital fabrication for zero waste: digital manufacturing solutions to reduce waste and develop bio-based or recycled materials.
- Design for closing the loop: product-services for open production models and urban manufacturing, aimed at innovating waste management.ù
- Design for urban metabolisms: IoT solutions to track the flow of materials, products, and energy, supporting the urban circular economy.
- Design for nature-based solutions: products and services to preserve biodiversity, improve coexistence between species, and promote urban well-being.
Area 2 / Design and empowered fabrication
This research area explores the intersection of design, digital fabrication, and materials evolution, with a focus on digital transformation and the circular transition. Design research focuses on experimenting with materials, technologies, and digital fabrication processes.
Theses in this area range from product innovation, with materials designed using digital technologies or made smart, to process innovation, in which bio-based materials are developed through biofabrication processes or obtained from the valorization of waste and scraps.
Here are possible research theses we would like to develop at Polifactory:
- Design and digital fabrication for augmented users: product-services for body empowerment, which combine digital components (hardware and software) with digital fabrication processes to create new smart artifacts.
- Design for growing materials: projects that experiment with the growth of materials such as mycelium and kombucha, including through digital fabrication, to improve performance and industrial applications.
- Design for experimental additive manufacturing: exploration of 3D printing with functional materials (heat-resistant, UV-resistant, recycled) and fluid-dense materials (technogel, extrusion paste), up to the prototyping of new production processes.
- Parametric and generative design for DIY and industrial production: experimentation with parametric-generative modeling to make design processes more adaptable to end users, combining a high-tech approach to DIY and innovative industrial production.
Area 3 / Impactful healthcare and care systems
Questa area tematica esplora il rapporto tra design e healthcare attraverso un approccio di innovazione aperta e partecipata, coinvolgendo pazienti, caregiver e strutture socio-sanitarie in processi di co-design. L’obiettivo è sviluppare soluzioni per la prevenzione, la cura e la gestione di patologie croniche e disabilità. Le tesi in questa linea di ricerca potranno concentrarsi su prodotti-servizi personalizzati per gestire cure domiciliari e disabilità, soluzioni smart per prevenire e monitorare patologie croniche, strumenti che abilitano la collaborazione tra pazienti, caregiver e sistema sanitario in ambito domestico e ospedaliero.
Ecco possibili tesi di ricerca che ci piacerebbe sviluppare in Polifactory:
- Participatory design for patient innovation: co-progettazione con pazienti, associazioni e specialisti per favorire l’inclusione sociale di chi vive con patologie croniche e rare.
- Design for self-care and prevention: soluzioni per la prevenzione, screening, monitoraggio autonomo della salute e riabilitazione.
- Design for a patient-centered culture: strumenti e metodi per supportare caregiver, centri di cura e associazioni nella progettazione di modelli sanitari centrati sul paziente.
Residency Selection and Rules
Applications received will be evaluated individually, based on the number of applications received within a given period and the availability of vacant residency spots in the makerspace.
Only proposals submitted at least six months before the hypothetical chosen graduation session and involving the development of:
- a research thesis (not a consolidation thesis);
- a project that includes tangible/material components;
- a project that can be prototyped at least in part using technologies available at Polifactory will be considered eligible for the program.
If eligible, we will arrange an introductory interview to further explore the application and decide whether to formally begin the residency period. Final acceptance or rejection of the application will be notified via email.
For applicants accepted to the program, the start date of the residency period will be determined based on the progress of the thesis project, but not before the research phase has generated a project idea or concept or defined an experimental program.
The residency program lasts a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 9 months. During this period, each Talent will receive a maximum of 15 hours of support from Polifactory staff members, and attendance in the lab is required at least 3 days a week.
For more information about the Talents in Residence program, please contact talents@polifactory.it
Polifactory thesis notice board
I docenti e ricercatori di Polifactory, parallelamente al programma Talents in Residence, offrono anche la possibilità di seguire come supervisor progetti di tesi di ricerca proposte da laureandi della Scuola del Design ricadenti in uno dei seguenti ambiti di interesse del makerspace:
Design for smart and urban manufacturing
In addition to the Talents in Residence program, Polifactory faculty and researchers also offer the opportunity to supervise research thesis projects proposed by graduates of the School of Design in one of the makerspace’s following areas of interest:
Design and making for repair culture
This area explores the role of design, digital manufacturing, and IoT technologies for logistics and distribution in key manufacturing sectors and cities featuring very small-scale production systems developed by emerging artisans, microfactories, and micro-self-producers.
Interaction design and IoT
This area explores the role of design and maker culture in developing tools and processes for repairing analog and digital products.
Design for user-centered healthcare and patient innovation.
This field explores the relationship between design and digital technologies for the materialization of artifacts that develop new forms of interactivity between objects, people, and environments.
Design for Peace Ecosystems
This area explores the role of design in developing innovative solutions within product-service systems that can support local communities in resolving, reducing, and overcoming conflicts related to the use of resources or of a social nature.
Interested in submitting a thesis in one of the areas listed? Send your idea (max. 2,000 characters) to polifactory@polimi.it