Future Observatory’s mission is to support a generation of design researchers in meeting the challenges of the green transition.

This multi-million-pound programme was established in 2021 by the Design Museum in partnership with the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It is unique in being able to use the museum as a public forum that can oxygenate new ideas through exhibitions, public programmes and publishing. 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.

By funding and amplifying research, 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.

Through AHRC, we have funded more than 100 research projects at a range of levels, from early career researchers to large-scale, multi-partner research consortia. These research projects aim to reduce carbon emissions and waste, explore alternative materials or address systemic change. Many of them have been showcased at the Design Museum through free displays, through talks and symposia, or published in Future Observatory Journal.

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.