REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 15064224 (England and Wales)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1210067

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024

for

THE DESIGN RESEARCH SOCIETY

Page

Report of the Trustees

1

to

6

Independent Examiner's Report

7

Statement of Financial Activities

8

Balance Sheet

9

to

10

Notes to the Financial Statements

11

to

13

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objects

To advance research and education into all aspects of design and to make publicly accessible the results

of this activity.

Aims

The aims of the Design Research Society are to recognise design as a creative act common to many disciplines; advance the theories, methods and practices of design; and to understand research and its relationship to education and practice.

Public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Charitable activities

The DRS's principal activities as a membership organisation are to run international conferences, events, and meetings that evolve a formal body of knowledge about design; to produce and disseminate this formal body of knowledge design through publications, such as journals, conference proceedings, and other reports; and to make publicly available this body of knowledge, primarily through an online repository.

We currently organise these activities into four overall areas:

•Conferences

•Public repository (Digital Library)

•Special interest groups (SIGs)

•Journal (Designing)

Conferences

The DRS directly organises one conference, the DRS biennial conference series, which attracts 500+ delegates. The DRS indirectly supports a number of smaller design research conferences organised by membership groups:

• EKSIG

• Learn X Design

• Textile Intersections

• Designing Retail and Service Futures Colloquium

Public repository (Digital Library)

The Digital Library is a free, open access repository of publications related to the discipline of design research. The Digital Library is composed of conference proceedings from the Society alongside proceedings from other design research conferences that have demonstrated robust research quality management practices.

The Society publishes the following proceedings:

• Design Research Society biennial conference

• International Association for Societies of Design Research (IASDR)

• The Nordic Design Conference (Nordes)

• EKSIG

• Learn X Design

• Textile Intersections

• Designing Retail and Service Futures Colloquium

In addition to these ongoing conference series, the Digital Library contains an extensive archive collection and several one-off conferences from previous years.

Special interest groups

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) build global communities within and across sub-disciplines of design research. SIGs engage with their communities through a broad range of activities, including building platforms of engagement, organising events and creating publications. SIGs are led by a convening group of subject specialists.

These are the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) currently presented on the DRS website, in alphabetical order:

• Designing Change

• Design Education

• Design Ethics

• Designing Retail & Service Futures

• Experiential Knowledge

• Global Health

• Inclusive Design

• Interdisciplinary Textiles

• Open

• Policy & Governance

• Pluriversal Design

• Sustainability

• Sound-driven Design

• Tangible Embedded Networked Technologies

• Wellbeing

Journal (Designing)

Designing is the academic journal of the Society which publishes the leading work in the discipline. The journal was established in 2025 and is produced in partnership with Sage. All journal content is currently open access. Previously, the academic journal of the Society was Design Studies, which was established in 1979 and published until 2023. The journal continues to be published by Elsevier independent of the Society.

Conferences

The 2024 DRS biennial conference, DRS2024, was held in Boston (US) and hosted by Northeastern University in partnership with Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Features of DRS2024 include:

• 590 in-person participants and 180 online participants

• 28 theme tracks, 74 paper sessions, 28 conversation sessions, and 38 workshop sessions

The call for papers for DRS2024 resulted in 869 full-paper submissions with 386 accepted for presentation and publication (a 44.4% acceptance rate). A rigorous selection process ensures that we continue to uphold the highest standards of academic excellence in design research.

Public repository (Digital Library)

The Society measures achievement through papers published and engagement with library content.

701 items were published to the Digital Library in 2024, including 386 research papers and 61 other publications from DRS2024.

446,000 downloads were accessed from the Digital Library in 2024 including:

•83,000 from the US

•43,000 from the UK

•23,000 from the Netherlands

•20,000 from Singapore

•19,000 from Australia

•17,000 from India

•17,000 from China

Special interest groups (SIGs)

The majority of SIGs focused on participation in DRS2024 through reviewing research papers, organising and managing theme-tracks, and hosting conference sessions.

Achievements:

•Designing Change: hosted a conference discussion session.

•Design Education: published and presented 18 papers over three conference sessions.

•Design Ethics: published and presented 17 papers over three conference sessions.

•Designing Retail & Service Futures: published and presented 6 papers in one conference session.

•Experiential Knowledge: published and presented 7 papers in one conference session.

•Global Health: published and presented 10 papers in two conference sessions.

•Inclusive Design: published and presented 12 papers in 3 conference sessions.

•Interdisciplinary Textiles: published and presented 6 papers in one conference session.

•Policy & Governance: published and presented 13 papers over three conference sessions.

•Pluriversal Design: published and presented 8 papers over two conference sessions.

•Sustainability: published and presented 21 papers over four conference sessions.

•Sound-driven Design: published and presented 9 papers over two conference sessions.

•Wellbeing: published and presented 11 papers over two conference sessions.

Journal (Designing)

In 2024, after initial discussions, the Society agreed to pursue a publishing contract with Sage Publishing for the new academic journal of the Society.

Features of the contract include:

•The Journal will be called Designing.

•The journal will be co-owned by Sage Publishing and the Society.

•The contract ensures the Society and Editors are solely responsible for journal content.

Membership

As a membership organisation, membership level remains one of our key performance indicators.

The average membership level for 2024 was 1047.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

Gross income for the year was £202,070. This included a donation of £91,870 from the preceding membership organisation as detailed in note 9.

All funds are unrestricted. Total funds at the year end stood at £114,377.

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that The Design Research Society has adequate resources to meet any commitments and sustain a comparable level of activity for at least the next twelve months from the approval of the financial statements, and therefore the financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The Design Research Society is a company limited by guarantee, as defined by the companies Act 2006, and a registered charity. Its governing document are its Articles of Association, which provide for a Board of Trustees (the directors of the company) who are also the members of the company for the purposes of company law.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

15064224 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1210067

Registered office

85 Great Portland Street

First Floor

London

W1W 7LT

Trustees

Dr H Dong University Professor (appointed 28.6.24)

Professor L Forlano University Professor (resigned 28.6.24)

Professor C M Gray University Professor

Professor P P M Hekkert University Professor (resigned 28.6.24)

Dr S Lenzi University Professor (appointed 28.6.24)

Professor P A Lloyd University Professor

Professor D J G Lockton University Professor (resigned 28.6.24)

Dr E Tsekleves University Professor (appointed 28.6.24)

Independent Examiner

Knox Cropper

LLP

Chartered Accountants

153 -155 London Road

Hemel Hempstead

Hertfordshire

HP3 9SQ

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 19 September 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Professor P A Lloyd - Trustee

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Design Research Society ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

1.	accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2.	the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3.	the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4.

the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Stephen Anderson

Knox Cropper

LLP

Chartered Accountants

153 -155 London Road

Hemel Hempstead

Hertfordshire

HP3 9SQ

19 September 2025

Period

11.8.23

Year Ended

to

31.12.24

31.12.23

Unrestricted

Total

fund

funds

Notes

£

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

91,871

-

Charitable activities

To advance research and education into all aspects of design

110,199

-

Total

202,070

-

EXPENDITURE ON

Charitable activities

To advance research and education into all aspects of design

80,003

-

Other

7,690

-

Total

87,693

-

NET INCOME

114,377

-

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

-

-

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

114,377

-

2024

2023

Unrestricted

Total

fund

funds

Notes

£

£

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors

5

7,974

-

Cash at bank

110,885

-

118,859

-

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

6

(4,482

)

-

NET CURRENT ASSETS

114,377

-

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

114,377

-

NET ASSETS

114,377

-

FUNDS

7

Unrestricted funds

114,377

-

TOTAL FUNDS

114,377

-

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

(a)	ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b)

preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 19 September 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

P A Lloyd - Trustee

1.	ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.

2.	TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 December 2024 nor for the period ended 31 December 2023.

Trustees' expenses

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 December 2024 nor for the period ended 31 December 2023.

3.	STAFF COSTS

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

Period

11.8.23

Year Ended

to

31.12.24

31.12.23

Administration

2

-

No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

4.	COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Total

funds

£

NET INCOME

-

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

-

5.	DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2024

2023

£

£

Accrued income

7,974

-

6.	CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2024

2023

£

£

Social security and other taxes

477

-

Other creditors

2,205

-

Accrued expenses

1,800

-

4,482

-

7.	MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Net

movement

At

At 1.1.24

in funds

31.12.24

£

£

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

-

114,377

114,377

TOTAL FUNDS

-

114,377

114,377

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Incoming

Resources

Movement

resources

expended

in funds

£

£

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

202,070

(87,693

)

114,377

TOTAL FUNDS

202,070

(87,693

)

114,377

8.	RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 December 2024.

9.	CHARITABLE STATUS

The Design Research Society became a registered charity on 17 September 2024. Prior to this the society had existed as a membership organisation. All funds held by the membership organisation were donated to the charity.