Gulf Design Works (GDW) - previously known as Gulf Design Studios - is a multi-year, multi-institution, interdisciplinary design studio network grant at higher education institutions in the Gulf states. The project is part of the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The program includes a set of design studio courses and research activities that seek to build the capacity of Gulf region colleges and universities to prepare the next generation of professionals to identify, visualize, explore, and propose solutions to local and regional critical issues in the Gulf region. Using design thinking as the foundational pedagogical and research approach, GDW students pursue complementary academic experiences with a focus on critical and emerging Gulf issues.