Organizer Information
Future Observatory is a research and commissioning programme focused on design and the climate crisis, based at the Design Museum. The programme supports emerging design researchers in developing new research addressing environmental challenges and provides a platform for experimental, interdisciplinary approaches to climate-related issues.
The Design Researchers in Residence programme is Future Observatory’s annual residency initiative. Hosted at the Design Museum, it gives four researchers from different design disciplines dedicated time, resources, and institutional support to develop independent research around a specific annual theme. The resulting projects are presented publicly at the museum, allowing visitors to engage with research as it develops.
For the 2026/27 cohort, the programme focuses on “Grown”, examining materials and systems cultivated through living organisms and exploring their environmental, technological, cultural, and ecological potential.
Title & Description
Design Researchers in Residence 2026/27: Grown
Future Observatory is inviting designers and researchers to apply for its Design Researchers in Residence 2026/27 programme, centred on the theme “Grown.”
The programme explores materials that are cultivated with living organisms rather than extracted from the earth. Examples include algae, fungi, yeast, natural fibres, mycelium and other grown materials. These materials are increasingly being investigated as renewable and biodegradable alternatives to plastic, leather and other petrochemical- or animal-derived materials.
The open call places this emerging material economy within a broader ecological context. While the UK is investing heavily in its bioeconomy and engineering biology, the ecosystems that support naturally grown materials are themselves increasingly vulnerable. The programme therefore encourages applicants to consider both the opportunities and contradictions associated with growing materials.
Researchers may investigate subjects spanning biodesign, biofabrication, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), natural systems, material innovation, ecological practices, policy and systems research, as well as more tactile and craft-based approaches.
The selected residents will spend October 2026 to June 2027 developing new independent research. Their work will subsequently be presented in a free public display at the Design Museum from June to September 2027, accompanied by a print publication.
Categories
- Design Research
- Biodesign
- Biofabrication
- Material Innovation
- Fashion & Textiles
- Industrial Design
- Architecture
- Systems Design
- Policy Research
- Craft
- Graphic Design
- Environmental / Ecological Design
- Interdisciplinary Research
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
The programme is interdisciplinary and explicitly welcomes practices beyond the disciplines listed above.
Eligibility
The opportunity is aimed at designers and researchers at the start of their careers. Applicants may come from disciplines including, but not limited to:
- Biodesign
- Fashion and textiles
- Industrial design
- Architecture
- Systems and policy research
- Material innovation
- Craft
- Graphic design
- Related interdisciplinary design and research practices
Applicants should propose independent research responding to the “Grown” theme and programme brief.
Four researchers will ultimately be selected for the 2026/27 residency.
Shortlisted applicants must be available to participate in an online interview during the week commencing 22 September 2026.
Program Benefits & Awards
The programme is a funded residency and provides each selected researcher with:
- £11,400 bursary
- £6,000 commissioning budget
- Studio space at the Design Museum
- Dedicated time and space to develop new research
- Mentorship
- Training opportunities
- Seminars with experts from the Design Museum and external organisations
- Opportunity to develop and produce a new research project
- Public presentation of the resulting work
- Inclusion in a free exhibition/display at the Design Museum
- Inclusion in an accompanying print publication
- Opportunity to engage directly with museum visitors through the presentation of live design research
The programme runs from October 2026 to June 2027, providing approximately nine months for research and development.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 6 September 2026
- Online interviews for shortlisted applicants: Week commencing 22 September 2026
- Residency programme begins: October 2026
- Design Researchers in Residence: October 2026 – June 2027
- Residency display at the Design Museum: June – September 2027
Location
London, United Kingdom
Additional Details
The “Grown” theme is particularly relevant to applicants whose research examines the relationship between living systems, material production and ecological sustainability.
The programme is not limited to technologically advanced biofabrication. Future Observatory explicitly expresses interest in research ranging from the handmade and tactile to the biofabricated and engineered. This creates space for both technologically oriented and traditional approaches to grown materials.
Applicants may consider questions surrounding:
- The cultivation of materials through living organisms
- Mycelium, algae, fungi, yeast and natural fibres
- Biofabrication and biodesign
- Renewable and biodegradable material alternatives
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
- Relationships between human design and living systems
- The UK's emerging bioeconomy
- Ecological fragility and threatened landscapes
- Material innovation in fashion, construction and packaging
- The environmental implications of scaling biological materials
- The intersection of design, ecology, technology and policy
The programme also highlights a significant tension: while grown materials are increasingly promoted as part of a sustainable future and the UK's bioeconomy, the natural ecosystems from which many such possibilities emerge are under pressure. Applicants therefore have an opportunity to approach “Grown” critically rather than simply treating biological materials as inherently sustainable.
Four researchers from different design disciplines will form the cohort, creating an interdisciplinary environment for exchange and collaboration. Their research will culminate in a public display and publication, giving participants an opportunity to communicate their research beyond an academic or professional design audience.