Design research has recently received considerable attention in the IS community. The existing IS design research frameworks assume that IT is a part of the environment of IS research. This assumption overlooks the interrelationships between IS research and IT innovation. This paper analyzes the proactive role of design research in IS in the perspective of IT innovation. It suggests that design theories in IS need to emphasize more on the alignment of design research in IS and IT innovation. Three recent design research exemplars in the IS research literature (two from The Journal of Computer Information Systems, and one from Industrial Management & Data Systems) are used to explain this component of design research in IS.