Future Observatory curates exhibitions, programmes events and funds and publishes new research, all with the aim of championing new design thinking on environmental issues. Future Observatory is coordinated by the Design Museum in partnership with the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). 

Future Observatory redefines what a museum can be: a place not solely focused on the past or the present but one that can help shape the future.  As a cultural institution, the Design Museum is ideally placed to bring cutting-edge design research to broad audiences, making it accessible and engaging and enabling it to have a greater impact.

Design the green transition

In July 2022, AHRC and the Design Museum launched a multi-million-pound fund bringing UK design researchers, universities and businesses together to catalyse the transition to net zero and a green economy. 

Future Observatory: Design the Green Transition is a £40m investment funded by AHRC and delivered in partnership with the Design Museum. It will benefit over 100 higher education institutions and 75 industry and local authority partners across the nation. It is the largest publicly funded design research and innovation (R&I) programme in the UK.