Design Generators round two

Design Generators round two is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Funding to combine design-led interventions with arts and humanities methodologies to make positive contributions to the green transition, which may include diet change and protein transition initiatives.

Design Generators round two – UKRI Funding opportunity: Design Generators round two Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Award range: £150,000 - £200,000 21 July 2026 9:00am UK time 29 September 2026 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 28 July 2026 - see all updates Apply for funding to combine design-led interventions with arts and humanities methodologies to make positive contributions to the green transition.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding. Design Generators connect directly with the wider Future Observatory: Design the Green Transition Programme. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £200,000.

AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. These awards must be between nine to 12 months in duration. This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility.

Check if your organisation is eligible . Applications are welcomed from UK-based researchers across all career stages, from early career to established researchers. Project leads must be actively engaged in postdoctoral research and be of postdoctoral standing.

This means you must have a doctorate or can demonstrate in your application that you have equivalent research experience or training. You must have a level of skills, knowledge and experience that is appropriate to your proposed project.

employed by the research organisation submitting the application have an existing written formal arrangement with the research organisation confirming that you will be able to carry out the research as if you were an employee scheduled to move to the research organisation before the proposed start date of the application It is no longer a requirement to provide evidence of contractual arrangements within the application.

However, we do require that such an arrangement is in place at the point that the grant begins and we may ask for evidence of it during the assessment process. Project co-leads are supported by this funding opportunity, see AHRC research funding guide for further information. We expect the project lead and any project co-lead time commitment to be proportionate and relative to the project that they are proposing.

There is no minimum or maximum requirement. Every project must have at least one non-academic co-lead. These co-leads can include, but are not limited to, businesses, public sector organisations, third sector, civil society or community organisations.

The non-academic co-lead should be a relevant stakeholder that is equipped to support the proposed activities and has the capacity to commit to delivering impact. Non-academic co-leads can be included as a project co-lead (UK) provided that they meet the criteria set out in the inclusion of non-academic co-leads guidance (PDF, 87KB) .

Non-academic co-leads can request costs including staffing costs which will be funded at 100% FEC, and may also make additional ‘in kind’ contributions, however there is no expectation to do so. Please note that non-academic co-lead costs must not make up over 30% of the overall funds requested.

Non-academic co-leads should be included in applications using the project co-lead (UK) role type on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. A letter of support is not required for non-academic co-leads. Co-leads differ from project partners, who should not be seeking to claim grant funding, and typically provide ‘in kind’ or financial contributions.

Project partners can be added to your application and should provide a letter of support in the application. There is no requirement to include project partners within the application. There are no restrictions on the types of organisations that can take part, and non‑academic co‑leads may join more than one application where capacity and strategic fit allow.

Project partners and non‑academic co‑leads must declare any involvement in other UKRI grants so we can determine whether it is appropriate for them to also apply to this funding opportunity. The lead research organisation may submit only one application for this programme, and may co-lead on one other application, but each application must be substantively different in both partnership team and project objectives.

The project team members may participate in only one application for this programme. The overall portfolio of proposed activities must be at least 50% within AHRC disciplinary remit . Who is not eligible to apply We cannot support job shares within this funding opportunity.

We do not support project studentships (funding PhD study) within this funding opportunity. Subcontractors are not eligible to be included in this funding opportunity. Individuals who are based at a non-UK based organisation or do not have an organisational affiliation (freelancers and independent consultants) are not eligible to be included within this funding opportunity.

International researchers This is a UK based funding opportunity, and as such international researchers and activities (including international conference attendance) are not applicable for funding. Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process. Demand management is being applied to this funding opportunity.

Further details are provided in the ‘Additional information’ section. Design is a discipline that applies user, customer, citizen or community-centred approaches to creativity and invention to ensure more successful outcomes. These may include the built environment, physical products, digital or other services and systems that underpin how we live.

Success in this context may mean economic, social, environmental, or a combination of all three. 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.

Supporting the government’s growth mission, the programme fosters sustainable innovation, strengthening design and business capabilities, and enabling long term economic growth that aligns with environmental goals.

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 is the second of two rounds and focuses 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. We 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.

Through strengthening a system’s effectiveness, resilience and inclusivity, the programme also aims to support sustainable economic growth and productivity at local and national levels. You 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.

We encourage researchers to work closely with communities, stakeholders and system actors to co-develop interventions that are contextually sensitive and have the potential to be scaled up. These interventions could be scaled up to benefit larger populations, influence policy, or be applied to parallel systems.

The aim is to generate new knowledge, prototypes or both that not only respond to systemic challenges but also reimagine how systems could function more equitably, sustainably, and creatively. We cannot accept resubmissions of any proposals that were unsuccessful in round one. Projects can be single discipline, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary.

The majority of the disciplinary focus of the project must fall within AHRC’s subject remit, see section seven of the AHRC research funding guide for our remit coverage. Practice-based and practice-led research is supported by this scheme. Partnerships and collaboration are supported.

Applications should articulate how collaborative activity will be conducted, considering good practice in equitable partnerships. Further guidance is available in the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) good research resource hub . Please note that applications cannot be re-submitted from round one.

The same individuals or teams may submit applications to each round. However, you cannot submit an unsuccessful first round application to the second round. If you choose to submit proposals to both rounds, each application should be markedly different.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the ‘Additional information’ section. The duration of these awards must be between nine to 12 months in duration. Projects must start by 1 February 2027.

The FEC of your project can be between £150,000 and £200,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Design Generators may support activities that include but are not limited to: design research and innovation that prototypes and explores products, services and systems with users creation of multidisciplinary design research capabilities that can respond to needs and challenges exploration of circular, cyclical, or regenerative business models strengthening resilience in third sector and community organisations supporting skills transition across sectors and disciplines developing policymaking strategies for a green and regenerative economy providing training and development opportunities facilitating public participation in the research process conducting outreach activities to involve individuals or organisations outside academia in shaping ideas and research Please note that applications should be specific about the details of the proposed activities, be these coordinated programme activities or a standalone activity.

Projects should demonstrate clear pathways to measurable outcomes of benefit to stakeholders both within the project lifetime and beyond. An eligible cost would be paying participants for their time to help remove barriers to engagement. Any related costs will be subject to assessment on value for money and appropriateness by assessors.

These costs should be listed under ‘Other – Directly Incurred’. Please note that each eligible research organisation can only submit one application to this round of funding in which they are leading and only co-lead on one other application. We will not enter discussions with any research organisations regarding demand management and how to prioritise their submissions to this round of funding.

We will not fund applications that are not primarily rooted within the design discipline. Applications must comprise, and evidence at least 50% design discipline coverage. We do not support project studentships (funding PhD study) within this funding opportunity.

Subcontractors are not eligible to be included in this funding opportunity. Projects that do not engage directly with the theme or seek to develop a generic approach to a wider green transition challenge will be considered outside the scope of this funding opportunity. We will not fund any costs that do not have a clear rationale or link to the proposed activities, such as vague consultancy fees and unrelated overheads.

Any individuals, organisations, conferences or activities that are based outside of the UK are not eligible for this funding opportunity. International stakeholders cannot form any part of an application. This is a UK focused funding opportunity and applications should have a UK based impact.

If a UK based organisation has an international community, this should not form an element of the application and any international stakeholders would not be eligible for funding. An application that includes any international element, regardless of whether they are costed to the grant, will be deemed ineligible and will not proceed to panel.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where you can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members, non-academic co-leads and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the project lead. Answer questions directly in the text boxes.

You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must: provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit) insert each new image on a new line use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words.

The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include: sentences or paragraphs of text excessive quantities of images A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. Hyperlinks can be used in reference information.

When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that: references are easily identifiable by the assessors references are formatted as appropriate to your research persistent identifiers are used where possible General use of hyperlinks Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information.

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment . AHRC must receive your application by 29 September 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines. Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email ahrcdesignandinnovation@ahrc. ukri. org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Institutional matched funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged. This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on the Future Observatory website . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

Your application must have at least one non-academic co-lead, these can be added to your application using the project co-lead (UK) role type. UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment identifies the potential local, regional or national impacts, both direct and indirect, and who the beneficiaries might be enhances the UK’s research and innovation capabilities through local, regional or both activity References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you have designed your approach so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Applicant and team capability to deliver Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project lead and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). Complete this as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. References may be included within this section. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work?

If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, while minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project If you are collecting or using data, you should identify: any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data) formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving: genetically modified organisms You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation. Animal Involvement and “3Rs” You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.

If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page. what animals you are involving the severity of the procedures you are using where the procedures will take place welfare standards you aim to meet the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions.

You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section. To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy for research and innovation involving animals . UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.

Genetically modified organisms and biological risk You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies. If you project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.

the type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include the intended use of the organism or genetic technology the genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies . Human Participation in Health-related Research You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.

If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.

what type of human participation your project includes the project design for human participation the phase of the clinical trial whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so, how the project will be registered whether diversity and inclusion will be considered For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research .

Resources and cost justification What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular: significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any equipment that will cost more than £25,000 any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities all facilities and infrastructure costs all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’ You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project.

For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders . Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount. Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources.

Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work: are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes maximise potential outcomes and impacts Discipline classification – primary Please provide the primary research area of your proposal.

What the assessors are looking for in your response You must select only one of these research disciplines: cultural and museum studies drama and theatre studies information and communication technologies library and information studies political science and international studies theology, divinity and religion This information will be used for the purposes of processing your proposal and in the selection of appropriate assessors.

Discipline classification – secondary Please describe, using keywords, the research area of your proposal and where relevant the approach, time, or geographical area. What the assessors are looking for in your response This will further help with the selection of appropriate assessors. Add details about any project partners’ contributions.

If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service. A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities.

Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK.

Add the following project partner details: the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable) the project partner contact name and email address the type of contribution (direct or indirect) and its monetary value If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. Project partners: letters (or emails) of support Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’.

Each letter or email you provide should: confirm the partner’s commitment to the project clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them describe any additional value that they bring to the project have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as