Design Exchange Partnerships pilot round
We funded 15 Design Exchange Partnerships in the 2021 to 2022 pilot round.
Overview of 15 Design Exchange Partnerships.
Design Accelerators round two
We funded nine Design Accelerators in round two of 2023 and 2024 funding.
Overview of nine design accelerators.
Green Transition Ecosystems
We funded four Green Transition Ecosystems from 2022 to 2025. This funding will continue until 2028.
Overview of four green transition ecosystems.
Next Generation Design
In January 2017, AHRC appointed Professor Paul Rodgers as our Priority Area Leadership Fellow for Design.
The aims of this fellowship were to:
- increase the quantity and quality of design-led research proposals
- strengthen the research capacity of the next generation of design researchers
- act as an ambassador for design research across all sectors of UK society
- use design research as a tool for delivering real and positive social change
Professor Rodgers has led a series of workshops and talks around the country entitled Next Generation Design. The workshops were aimed at early career design researchers and included presentations from:
- Professor Paul Rodgers
- AHRC award holders
- Harry Kerr previously in the AHRC design team
- host institutions’ research offices
The findings of this fellowship are being used to highlight a number of key roles that design has played in past projects, and how it can be used to great effect in a wide variety of future significant, complex global issues. Examples include health and wellbeing, economic growth, sustainable production and consumption, among others.
This work has highlighted that most design research projects synergistically create more than one type of value, generating an interesting mix of social, cultural, economic, and environmental value.
It has also identified research gaps for the design research community to focus on in future years.
The work has been instrumental in the development of the Future Observatory at the Design Museum.
Design Centres for Doctoral Training
AHRC doesn’t just fund postdoctoral research in design. We understand the importance of fostering talent as early as possible and, to that end, we have previously funded four design-focused Centres for Doctoral Training.
These are consortia that comprise research organisations throughout the country:
- The 3D3 Centre for Doctoral Training (Falmouth University, Plymouth University and the University of the West of England)
- London Doctoral Design Centre (the Royal College of Art, Kingston University and University of the Arts London)
- AHRC Northumbria-Sunderland Centre for Doctoral Training (Northumbria University, the University of Sunderland, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the National Glass Centre, Sunderland)
- Design Star (Brighton University, Goldsmiths, University of London, Loughborough University, the Open University and the University of Reading)
