Background Design-focused research can potentially help patients and caregivers to manage their digital legacy (the digital information available about someone following their death). However, there is a lack of multi-disciplinary partnerships needed to conduct digital legacy research. Multidisciplinary partnerships involving design, digital and palliative care stakeholders can potentially support digital legacy research to improve care.

Aim To develop a multidisciplinary network to improve the capacity to conduct digital legacy research.

Methods This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), North West Coast Clinical Research Network. Project work included two face-to-face conferences. Stakeholders worked collaboratively across the following work-packages: (1) role of new technologies in digital legacy, (2) role of design in digital legacy, and (3) inequalities and inequity in digital legacy.

Results The inaugural Digital Legacy, Design and Technology networking workshop (September 2023) involved presentations and workshops on the topic of digital legacy. Workshop data were collected from attendees to inform views, needs assessments and solutions. In the second event (March 2024) we further developed the network to consider how to best use the skills of the group to develop research grants and future work. The March meeting focused on practical digital legacy, using round table discussions to consider (1) how technologies can be used to create, curate and archive memories, (2) how to practically manage an individual’s digital estate and (3) how to open the conversation about digital across the generations.

Conclusion The Digital Legacy Design and Technology network has successfully connected a diverse group of individuals and organisations. The Network is committed to working together, to undertake innovative research work, to identify how technologies can be best used to support the management of digital legacies of individuals and wider society.