Design Research & Generative Conversation: Dean Noel’s Address to Problematique Dialogue 2026
May 24 2026 - 4:03pm
Lesley-Ann Noel, our distinguished Dean of Design, shared thoughts & critical perspectives in this warm welcome to attendees. “Welcome to Problematique Dialogue 2026….I want to begin by acknowledging sLab for their care, intellectual leadership, & sustained commitment…What you’ll be participating in over the next few days is not a typical academic event, & that distinction matters”…Read Dean Noel’s Address

Problematique Dialogue, May 10-15, 2026
May 24 2026 - 1:01pm
The first Problematique Dialogue, applying the Banathy Conversation Method, was convened as a five-day immersive in-person event, May 10-15, 2026. In anticipation of published proceedings, and plans for a subsequent annual event… Continue

sLab Reinvigoration at RSD14
Oct 9 2025 - 4:43pm
A lot is going on with sLab! We’re inviting past and present collaborators to join us in reinvigorating sLab with a series of events. As a first step in shaping a call for collaborative regeneration through systemic design, we begin with an inquiring gaze in the rearview mirror.

Systemic Design and Its Discontents: Designing with Emergence and Accountability
May 11 2021 - 5:51pm
This paper from RSD7 explains the power of systemic design to bring positive change & unintended consequences. We argue for alloying systemic design with ethics, social justice & data literacy. Read the paper.

sLab recognized as ground-breaking social lab
Apr 23 2021 - 11:51am
The rise of 'social labs' signals a major shift in the mindset & delivery of action research alliances. Against this backdrop sLab is receiving recognition as groundbreaking social lab. Read sLab's 'origin story'. 

Test Story from 'capps' account
Feb 16 2021 - 5:05pm
Test content 

sLab's Chris Chopik named Global Top 10 Sustainable Real Estate Influencer
Feb 5 2021 - 5:52pm
Top Ten Real Estate Influencers include SFI graduate and sLab alum, Chris Chopik.

Tim Nash, "The Sustainable Economist,” holds Toronto events
Apr 19 2018 - 10:17am
Tim Nash, the "Sustainable Economist” is speaking in two events in Toronto

What is "precompetitive innovation"?
Nov 7 2017 - 8:42am
Pre-competitive purposes / innovation / research / collaboration refers to early stage, multi-sector, “market development” efforts that aim to open up space and capacity for cooperation & competition by developing knowledge, expectations, standards.

OCAD SFI Teams Head to Prestigious Hult Prize regional finals
Jan 19 2017 - 11:07am
Three teams from OCAD University made their way to the Hult Prize 2017 Regional Finals in Boston, London and Shanghai. Nine of the ten OCAD U MDes students are enrolled in the Strategic Foresight & Innovation program (SFI) and the tenth is a Digital Futures (DFI) student. Join us in congratulating the great achievement of Team Hive: Tania De Gasperis, Daniel Ura, Sugeevan Shanmuganathan; Team Sage: Courtney Cooper, Vince Galante, Ziyan Hossain, Lisa Hart; and Team Forsati: Alastair Woods, Jessica Thornton, and Lindsay Clarke.

SFI Grad Students Awarded by Association of Pro Futurists
Dec 11 2016 - 11:33am
OCAD SFI students secure five awards in the Association of Professional Futurists (APF) Student Recognition Program

DesignJam & GenerationConnection host "NorthJam"
Aug 26 2016 - 10:38am
The event brought design thinking approaches to understanding innovation, including indigenous entrepreneurship and revitalization of downtown areas in Northern Ontario

DesignJam Waterloo Region tackles food insecurity & homelessness
Mar 2 2016 - 1:42pm
Students, social entrepreneurs, designers and stakeholders participated in the first regional DesignJam in Waterloo to get involved in social causes. Read the full story in Waterloo University's site. First regional design jam tackles food insecurity and homelessness Wednesday, February 3, 2016 by Susan Fish  

How Are Art & Social Innovation Related?
Jul 29 2015 - 3:11pm
What Can Art Do for You? is a new "mini-doc" created to accompany the Creative Catalyst Symposium organized by Madeleine Co & Ryerson University.  The piece interrogates the role of art in social change, including diverse perspectives from:

SSHRC Imagining Canada's Future
Jun 24 2015 - 6:01pm
Southern Ontario is seeing increasing urbanization & with it a host of changes, challenges & opportunities. By 2050, what kinds of knowledge & services do we envision to support our communities in the face of this? View research findings from our expert panel on Southern Ontario urbanization.

How can art imagine better possible futures? By Greg Van Alstyne
Jun 19 2015 - 2:35pm
Ideas on art, creativity, and the futures from the Creative Futures panel, Creative Catalyst symposium, Ryerson University.

DesignJam
Jun 16 2015 - 1:22pm
Co-creative, design-fueled, human-centred skills for young startups & social innovators. DesignJam provides consulting, training & hands-on, problem-based learning in design, business & futures thinking.

Celebrating 3 Years of Strongly Sustainable Business Model Research
Jan 15 2015 - 9:31pm
SSBMG celebrated its third anniversary by reflecting on achievements to date, including 330 members in LinkedIn, launching of Flourishing Business Canvas (FBC), Future Fit Business Benchmark, and the Social Impact Analysts Association (SIAA) conference.

Digital Governance
Jan 2 2015 - 7:14pm
Transforming government practice in the digital era. Through research & engagement, Digital Governance develops a network equipped to understand these dynamics & to guide innovation. A foresight commission developed with support from Canada's Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Copenhagen Studio Summit 2014
Oct 5 2014 - 11:38pm
Use of studio method in higher ed explored at the Art of Management & Organization Conference 2014, Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

The Rise of Design Thinking
Aug 26 2014 - 5:30pm
Design Thinking is sometimes described as a "movement" and has been receiving increased attention in recent decades. The following Google Trends data reveal the rise of design thinking in relation to related areas of practice:

Emerging Contexts of Systemic Design – ISSS 2014

Aug 7 2014 - 11:02pm
'Leading Across Boundaries' theme sends clear call to bridge disciplines with systems thinking

Three TED talks that demonstrate Visualizing Emergence principles
Apr 8 2014 - 9:17am
These talks help to outline key themes in sLab's Visualizing Emergence project, part of CIV-DDD

Design for Care: Innovating Healthcare Experience by Peter Jones
Mar 8 2014 - 1:35pm
In his new book Design for Care, sLab researcher Peter Jones shows how service & information designers can work with practice professionals, patients & advocates to make a positive difference in healthcare. The world of healthcare is constantly evolving, ever increasing in complexity, costs, and stakeholders, and presenting huge challenges to policy making, decision making and system design. Jones and his contributors provide compelling healthcare design and information issues, integrated by representative case studies, to help designers, managers, students and teachers better understand the field.

Deloitte Acquires Monitor Group (and thus, GBN)
Jun 21 2013 - 11:23am
Deloitte Completes Acquisition of Monitor’s Global Strategy... deloitte.com

How to measure research? Two thoughts
Jun 21 2013 - 11:21am
In the sLab scenario "Payback" a key pattern is the rise of 'metrics': measurement of everything for performance assessment...

Towards Business Design Principles for Strongly Sustainable Organizations
Mar 5 2013 - 8:36pm
by Antony Upward on Tue, 2013/03/05 - 8:36pm Welcome This is my third post to the blog of the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Group (SSBMG), an applied research group within OCAD U’s Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Towards a Definition of Organizational Strong Sustainability - A Review of the Literature
Nov 23 2012 - 3:41pm
by Antony Upward on Fri, 2012/11/23 - 3:41pm Welcome This is my second post to the blog of the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Group (SSBMG), an applied research group within OCAD U’s Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Strongly Sustainable Business Models: A Personal Perspective on a New Field of Practice and Research
Jul 26 2012 - 3:36pm
First in a series for the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Group (SSBMG), this post by Antony Upward discusses the origin and meaning of the groups's name.

sLab researcher Helen Kerr featured in Great Minds of Design on CBC
May 25 2012 - 12:00am
sLab researcher and Strategic Foresight & Innovation graduate program professor, Helen Kerr, will be featured in the documentary, Great Minds of Design. This six-part documentary by 291 Film company explores the processes and motivations of Canadian designers. Helen Kerr and her firm, KerrSmith, are featured in the upcoming episode titled; "Dream Big. Do Good.

Seeing and Shaping Our Future: Becoming Better Agents of Change and Transformation
Apr 11 2012 - 12:00am
Seeing and Shaping Our Future: Becoming Better Agents of Change and Transformation Ruben Nelson, of Foresight Canada, held at the Design Exchange April 2-3, 2012 Sponsored by the British Council

OCAD Strategic Foresight & Innovation Students Score Double Win at Rotman Design Challenge
Apr 5 2012 - 12:00am
Two teams of masters degree students from OCAD University's Strategic Foresight & Innovation program in Toronto competed in the third annual Rotman Design Challenge, held on March 24, 2012 at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. The OCAD SF&I teams were awarded second and third place, with Chicago's IIT Institute of Design winning first place in the competition organized by the Rotman Business Design Club.

The Unfinished Lectures
Dec 1 2010 - 8:16pm
The Unfinished Lecture is an event series hosted by Strategic Innovation Lab at OCAD University and sponsored by Torch Innovation. Part of the Unfinished Business initiative, the lectures are intended to generate an open conversation about strategic innovation in the business and design of commercial enterprises and public organizations.

sLab Visiting Scholar: Dr. Carlos Scolari, UVic, Catalonia
Dec 1 2010 - 8:13pm
Strategic Innovation Lab at OCAD University was the proud host to visiting Barcelona media scholar, Dr. Carlos Scolari. For three months from May to August, Dr. Scolari was in residence at sLab, chiefly to work on his book, The Seven Laws of the Interface. During his visit Prof. Scolari also participated in many meetings and activities including the sBook "future of the book" project and other initiatives of the Strategic Innovation Lab. His contribution to the research and educational activities of the slab were invaluable and we are grateful for his generous, erudite and playful contribution to the life of the Lab.