Asia Design Week announces the 2026 cycle of the inaugural ADW Future Design Scholars Program, a new international scholar-support initiative dedicated to future-oriented design research, design intelligence, cultural creativity, human–AI co-creation, sustainable innovation, and public-facing design impact. The 2026 application period opened on April 1, 2026 and closed on June 10, 2026. The public notice of selected scholars is scheduled for June 20, 2026. This page is maintained as the official public record of the 2026 open call, selection process, fellowship support, and scholar recognition framework.
Selected scholars will be recognized as ADW Future Design Scholars and may receive fellowship support through the 2026 ADW Future Design Fellowship to advance independent research at a recognized university, research institution, laboratory, or academic host organization.
The 2026 ADW Future Design Scholars Program is hosted by Asia Design Week and co-organized with selected international design associations and academic organizations. Academic co-organizers support academic outreach, community visibility, and professional exchange. They are not funders, contracting parties, employers, research supervisors, or recipients of research deliverables under the fellowship.
Role | Organization |
Host Organizer | Asia Design Week |
Academic Co-Organizer | Thai Graphic Designers Association |
Academic Co-Organizer | Korea Society of Color Studies |
Academic Co-Organizer | Korea Society of Illustration Research |
The 2026 application period closed on June 10, 2026. The public notice of selected scholars is scheduled for June 20, 2026. This page is retained as the official public record for the 2026 open call, review process, fellowship support, and public notice.
Design is entering a new historical phase. In the context of cultural transformation, technological acceleration, sustainability challenges, and changing forms of human experience, design is no longer limited to visual form, product development, or service innovation. It is increasingly becoming a way to connect human creativity, cultural knowledge, social imagination, emerging technologies, and future ways of living.
The ADW Future Design Scholars Program is established by Asia Design Week to identify and support scholars with international vision, interdisciplinary capability, and long-term research potential. The program encourages future-oriented research that connects design knowledge, creative practice, cultural exchange, sustainable development, design education, and public innovation.
The program values not only academic publications, but also research prototypes, design methods, creative experiments, public knowledge production, educational contributions, and innovative practices that can be examined, communicated, and further developed in real-world contexts.
Future Design Innovation and Sustainable Research Impact
The 2026 cycle welcomes research that explores how design can contribute to future knowledge systems, technological imagination, human–AI collaboration, cultural creativity, sustainable social transformation, and new forms of public value.
The 2026 ADW Future Design Scholars Open Call was intended for emerging and early-career scholars, postdoctoral researchers, visiting scholars, and interdisciplinary practitioners whose work advances future-oriented design research and its wider cultural, educational, technological, or social impact.
Applicants were expected to demonstrate a strong foundation in academic research, creative practice, design innovation, cultural work, educational contribution, or interdisciplinary inquiry. The program was open to applicants from all regions and welcomed proposals connected to recognized host institutions, research laboratories, academic programs, or comparable scholarly platforms.
Selected scholars may receive a one-year fellowship benefits package valued at up to USD 120,000 through the 2026 ADW Future Design Fellowship. The package is intended to support the scholar’s living expenses and independent research activities during the fellowship period.
The final fellowship package will be determined based on the cost of living in the host location, host institution requirements, the proposed research plan, and the Fellowship Committee’s funding assessment. Where applicable, the package may include the following components:
Component | Purpose |
Base Living Stipend | To support living expenses during the fellowship period. |
Research Allowance | To support books, software, materials, documentation, fieldwork, prototyping, dissemination, and other research-related costs. |
Travel and Relocation Support | To support travel to and from the host country or region, relocation, and visa-related travel, where applicable. |
Health Insurance or Health-Related Support | To support health insurance or health-related requirements of the host institution, where applicable. |
Academic Exchange Support | To support participation in relevant conferences, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, or research exchange activities, where applicable. |
The fellowship may support selected scholars undertaking independent research, visiting research, postdoctoral research, or other recognized scholarly activities at an approved host institution or academic platform.
The 2026 cycle welcomed applications in the following areas, including but not limited to:
Research Area | Indicative Topics |
Future Design Studies | Future design theory, design history and criticism, design methods, design education, and emerging design research frameworks. |
Design Intelligence and Human–AI Co-Creation | Generative AI design systems, human–AI collaboration, design reasoning, creative computing, and intelligent design tools. |
Creative Technology and Experience Systems | Human-computer interaction, spatial computing, XR, media art, digital culture, creative technology, and experience design. |
Sustainable Design and Social Impact | Sustainable design systems, public design, community innovation, civic imagination, future lifestyles, and social transformation. |
Cross-Cultural Design and Cultural Creativity | Cross-cultural design research, cultural knowledge, creative industries, design communication, and international cultural exchange. |
Research Prototypes and Public Knowledge | Research-driven prototypes, exhibitions, educational experiments, public scholarship, and knowledge visualization. |
Applicants were expected to meet the following requirements:
Requirement | Description |
Degree | Applicants should have received a doctoral degree or equivalent terminal degree before the start of the fellowship research period. |
Research Foundation | Applicants should demonstrate a strong foundation in academic research, creative practice, design innovation, cultural work, education, or interdisciplinary inquiry. |
Research Fit | The proposed independent research project should align with the annual theme or supported research areas of the program. |
Host Arrangement | Applicants should have obtained, or be in the process of applying for, a host affiliation, visiting appointment, postdoctoral appointment, research affiliation, or comparable academic arrangement with a recognized institution, laboratory, or scholarly platform. |
Fellowship Period | Applicants should be able to conduct and advance the proposed research during the one-year fellowship period. |
Non-Employment | Selected scholars will not become employees, consultants, contractors, or service providers of Asia Design Week by receiving fellowship support. |
This open call welcomed applicants from all countries and regions.
The 2026 application period closed on June 10, 2026. During the application period, applicants were asked to submit the following materials in English as a single PDF file:
Material | Requirement |
Curriculum Vitae | Academic and professional CV. |
Research Proposal | 1,500–2,000 words, including research question, background, methodology, expected outcomes, timeline, and relevance to the host environment. |
Personal Statement | Up to 1,000 words, describing the applicant’s intellectual trajectory, motivation, and long-term contribution to future design research. |
Representative Works | Two representative works, which may include publications, research projects, design projects, prototypes, exhibitions, educational projects, or technology-driven design work. |
Host Affiliation Evidence | Host invitation, appointment letter, affiliation confirmation, collaboration statement, or description of an ongoing host application, if available. |
References | Names and contact information of two referees. |
During the application period, applications were submitted by email to:
official@asia-design-week.com
Email subject line:
2026 ADW Future Design Scholars Open Call – Application – [Applicant Name]
Applications are reviewed according to the following criteria:
Criterion | Weight |
Scholarly and Creative Excellence | 25% |
Originality and Future Relevance of the Research Proposal | 25% |
Contribution to Design Knowledge, Practice, or Education | 20% |
Public, Cultural, or Sustainable Impact | 15% |
Feasibility and Fit with the Host Environment | 15% |
The review considers the applicant’s scholarly capability, creative foundation, interdisciplinary potential, clarity of research questions, feasibility of the proposed plan, and potential long-term contribution to future design research, design education, cultural exchange, and public innovation.
The fellowship selection process includes eligibility and completeness review, expert review, shortlist interview where needed, conflict-of-interest disclosure, final deliberation, public notice, and issuance of fellowship award letters. The expert review is organized by the ADW Future Design Fellowship Committee. The expert list is available on the Asia Design Week website: https://www.asia-design-week.com/en/jury.html.
Stage | Description |
Eligibility and Completeness Review | Applications are reviewed for eligibility, required materials, and basic fit with the 2026 program scope. |
Expert Review | The ADW Future Design Fellowship Committee organizes expert review. Expert list: https://www.asia-design-week.com/en/jury.html. |
Shortlist Interview | Shortlisted applicants may be invited for an online interview, where needed. |
Conflict-of-Interest Disclosure | Committee members and reviewers disclose potential conflicts of interest and recuse themselves where appropriate. |
Final Deliberation | The Fellowship Committee conducts final deliberation and recommends selected scholars. |
Public Notice | Selected scholars will be announced on the Asia Design Week website for public notice. |
Award Letter | Official fellowship award letters will be issued after the public notice period and completion of relevant administrative review. |
Stage | Date |
Program Announcement | April 1, 2026 |
Applications Open | April 1, 2026 |
Application Deadline | June 10, 2026 |
Eligibility and Completeness Review | June 11–13, 2026 |
Expert Review | June 14–17, 2026 |
Shortlist Interviews, if needed | June 18, 2026 |
Final Selection | June 19, 2026 |
Public Notice | June 20, 2026 |
Public Notice Period | June 20–24, 2026 |
Fellowship Award Letters Issued | From June 25, 2026 |
Fellowship Start Date | From September 1, 2026, subject to the scholar’s host appointment arrangement |
Selected scholars will receive:
Support | Description |
Scholar Title | Recognition as an ADW Future Design Scholar. |
Fellowship Support | One-year fellowship support through the 2026 ADW Future Design Fellowship, subject to final funding assessment and award terms. |
Public Profile | Scholar introduction on the Asia Design Week website and related international communication platforms. |
Academic Exchange | Opportunities, subject to mutual agreement and the scholar’s research schedule, to participate in ADW-related academic forums, seminars, exhibitions, or research exchange activities. |
Scholar Network | Long-term participation in the ADW Future Design Scholars Network. |
Participation in ADW-related academic exchange activities does not constitute employment, consulting, or a service obligation. Any such participation will be arranged separately by mutual agreement and in accordance with the scholar’s research schedule and host institution policies.
The ADW Future Design Scholars Program and the 2026 ADW Future Design Fellowship are designed to support independent scholarly research. Fellowship support does not constitute employment, salary, consulting compensation, service fee, or payment for services to Asia Design Week or any co-organizing organization. Selected scholars are not required to provide employment services, consulting deliverables, commercial work, administrative work, promotional services, or other services to Asia Design Week or any co-organizing organization as a condition of receiving fellowship support.
Selected scholars retain intellectual and academic responsibility for their independent research, in accordance with the policies and expectations of their host institution.
Asia Design Week is an international platform for the design community in Asia and beyond. Through exhibitions, forums, awards, publications, educational initiatives, and international collaborations, Asia Design Week promotes design innovation, academic exchange, professional cooperation, and cross-cultural dialogue. The platform continues to explore emerging issues across design, art, culture, education, technology, and society, with a focus on future-oriented and publicly meaningful design practices.
The ADW Future Design Scholars Program is Asia Design Week’s new scholar-support initiative for future design research and international academic exchange. Through sustained support for selected scholars, the program seeks to advance future design knowledge, creative practice, cultural exchange, sustainable innovation, and design-driven public impact.
For inquiries, please contact:
ADW Future Design Scholars Program Committee Email: official@asia-design-week.com Website: www.asia-design-week.com
Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul
(+60) 1116687852 (Whatsapp) / ADW-01 (WeChat)
official@asia-design-week.com
