AHRC Design Generators Round 2 *short turnaround*
EOI’s are now being accepted for our internal selection and support panel for Round 2 of the AHRC Design Generators Call
AHRC Design Generators Round 2
Apply for funding to combine design-led interventions with arts and humanities methodologies to make positive contributions to the green transition.
Design Generators connect directly with the wider Future Observatory: Design the Green Transition Programme.
The Design Generators aim to fund innovative, design-led research projects that contribute to the green transition. They seek to generate new arts and humanities-based approaches and methodologies that harness design to address environmental sustainability, decarbonisation, circular economies, policy design and regenerative practices.
Funding will be provided to:
- co-develop interventions with a non-academic partner to assist sustained impact beyond the life of the grant
- engage collaboratively with communities or stakeholders, ensuring relevance and responsiveness to lived experience
- promote green transition-supportive behaviour change, either through deliberative policymaking and (de)regulation or through ‘nudging’
- highlight the value of academic design research in addressing real-world, locally relevant challenges arising along the journey to net zero and a green economy
This next round, as with the first, will focus on creating interventions within existing systems. These systems may include, but are not limited to, healthcare, food networks, governance structures, financial infrastructures, and other societal frameworks. AHRC are particularly interested in projects that approach these systems from a community perspective and use design thinking and creative methodologies to identify leverage points for positive change. Applicants should propose research that is collaborative, community-engaged, and scalable. Projects must be grounded in arts and humanities disciplines, drawing on methodologies including, but not limited to, design research, ethnography, and visual arts.
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be between £150,000 and £200,000.
These awards can be between 9 to 12 months in duration and must begin by 1st February 2027.
This funding opportunity is open now and due to close 29th September, 2026.
Applications are welcomed from researchers across all career stages, from early career to established researchers.
Every project must have a non-academic partner. These partners can include, but are not limited to, businesses, public sector organisations, third sector, civil society or community organisations.
This is a UK based funding opportunity, and as such international researchers and activities (including international conference attendance) are not applicable for funding.
Demand Management
AHRC is demand managing applications to this call. Newcastle University is permitted to submit one project as lead and may co-lead on one other application (noting that they must be substantively different in both project team and project objectives) to this round. The project team may participate in only one application.
Please note that due to demand management there is a very short timeframe for this which is out of our control. While the call closes in September we would like the selected applicant to have as much time as possible to prepare their application.
If you wish to apply as project lead or project co-lead with another institution, please read our 
AHRC- Design Generators 2026 Internal Process.docx. It will explain what you need to do to put your application forward for consideration in our selection process.
Please complete the internal selection form and return it via this MS Forms link by the deadline of 12 Noon, Monday 3rd August 2026.
Please direct any queries prior to the deadline to Lorraine Vincent.