Future Observatory

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.

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.

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.

WHAT WE DO FOR Future Observatory

Zetteler is proud to work with the inspiring, future-facing team behind the Future Observatory, and share its belief in the role that designers can – and should – play in building a better future.

futureobservatory.org