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Future Observatory is the Design Museum’s national research programme for the green transition.

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and delivered in partnership with the Design Museum, it is the largest publicly funded design research and innovation programme in the UK.

The Consortium

Future Island-Island is a collaborative project led by Ulster University, with Queen's University, Glasgow School of Art, University of the Arts London, – Big Motive, BigSmall Design, The B!G Idea, Malcolm Bea!ie, CARD Group, National Museums NI, Plaswire, Rathlin Development and Community Association (RDCA), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), The Odyssey W5, Todd Architects and Yellow Design. We have the support of a wider network of industry experts, community partners and public sector partners.

This design ecosystem integrates local knowledge with academic expertise and practical experience.

Our goal is to co-design innovation, facilitate best practice knowledge exchange and develop scalable models with real-world benefits.

Translating the best design-led research into real-world benefits

Future Island-Island is one of four UK Green Transition Ecosystems and part of the flagship Design the Green Transition programme.

The other three GTE projects are:

Design Hopes

Led by University of Strathclyde + University of Dundee Exploring the potential of design-led thinking and making to innovate and tackle multifaceted health delivery challenges to meet Net Zero goals for a sustainable health and social care system.

Learn more about Design Hopes

Public Map

Platform Led by University of Cambridge Piloting a public map to help local authorities and communities visualise local activities for informed public decision-making and climate action for Anglesey and beyond.

Learn more about Public Map

Transforming Homes

Led by University of Bath + Cardiff University. Applying innovative prototype solutions to improve existing 1920-1940 council homes into Beyond Net Zero liveable spaces. Working with Bristol and Swansea communities to support job creation and strengthen local capacities.

Learn more about Transforming Homes