Live the Design Factory experience
Starting in the fall of 2026, Université Laval will offer a course based on the Design Factory approach, providing an immersive framework for the co-creation, prototyping, and startup-style production of innovative products tailored to a variety of challenges.
Design, prototype, and test in an interdisciplinary team
Working in an interdisciplinary team, students will be tasked with creating a product, its Industry 4.0 production system, and its marketing strategy, based on a real-world problem. They will benefit from interdisciplinary instruction across three fields, which promotes the integration of design, engineering, and business perspectives to bring their project to fruition.
Access to these diverse areas of expertise and to a variety of co-creation and experimentation spaces (School of Design, the Lab-Usine at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Entrepreneuriat ULaval) will provide students with hands-on experience with the creative process, closely aligned with the realities of today’s job market.
A leader in interdisciplinary education
Université Laval has become the first Canadian university to join the Design Factory Global Network, which brings together 37 institutes of higher education across 25 countries. This membership will enable the university to draw from best practices and create synergies with international academic partners.
Design Factory ULAVAL aims to become a platform open to all members of the university community — researchers and students — as well as external partners interested in collaborative innovation. As a veritable laboratory, this initiative seeks to bridge the gap between science and society and position Université Laval as a leader in interdisciplinary education. Additional experiential learning opportunities will be offered in the coming years.
About
The course DES-2005 Conception, fabrication et mise en marché X.0 (Design, Manufacturing, and Marketing X.0, in French only) is taught by a team from the faculties of Planning, Architecture, Art, and Design (Michel de Blois), Administrative Sciences (Matthias Pepin), and Science and Engineering (Jonathan Gaudreault).
For more information about the initiative, please contact Michel de Blois at the School of Design: michel.deblois@design.ulaval.ca
