Supporting Design-led Interdisciplinary Research and International Academic Exchange
Asia Design Week announces the inaugural open call for the 2026 ADW Future Design Fellowship, supporting independent, design-led interdisciplinary research and international academic exchange.
The Fellowship is the core annual funding initiative of the ADW Future Design Scholars Program. Selected recipients will receive external research support and become ADW Future Design Scholars, joining an international network of researchers and research-oriented practitioners working across design, technology, culture, education, and society.
Design is increasingly entering fields of knowledge that were once treated as separate. Emerging technologies are reshaping creative practice, scientific inquiry continues to raise new cultural and social questions, and environmental and societal challenges require forms of knowledge-making that extend beyond any single discipline.
The 2026 theme invites applicants to explore how design can create meaningful connections across disciplines, technologies, cultures, and forms of practice—and how design-led research can drive future-oriented innovation.
· Generative Design, Design Intelligence, and Human–AI Co-Creation
· Emerging Interfaces, Digital Experience, and Creative Technology
· Future Design Studies, Education, and Knowledge Innovation
· Sustainable Production, Material Innovation, and Ecological Transitions
· Public Design, Social Innovation, and Inclusive Futures
· Cross-Cultural Design and Cultural Creativity
These areas form an open intellectual framework rather than isolated disciplinary categories. Applicants may identify one primary area or work across several, provided that the proposal is guided by a clear and coherent research question and explains the central role of design.
The Fellowship is open to applicants from different countries and regions who are committed to design-led interdisciplinary research, including scholars, postdoctoral researchers, visiting researchers, and research-oriented designers, artists, educators, and creative technologists.
· Applicants should demonstrate an ongoing record of research or research-led creative practice.
· Applicants should normally hold a doctoral degree or a recognized terminal professional degree. Applicants without such a degree should demonstrate equivalent research capability and professional experience appropriate to the proposed project.
· Applicants must be able to define and independently advance a clear, coherent, and feasible research plan.
· Applicants should identify a proposed host institution or research environment and explain its relationship to the project.
Applicants proposing to undertake the project in a postdoctoral capacity must hold a doctoral degree and ultimately satisfy the host institution’s independent eligibility and appointment requirements.
The Fellowship primarily supports independent research undertaken in association with a recognized university, research institution, laboratory, academic platform, or other appropriate research environment. Applicants should identify their proposed host environment and provide information about a prospective faculty host, research lead, laboratory, or academic platform.
A formal appointment or acceptance document is not required at the application stage. Applicants should, however, describe the current status of relevant discussions and may include an invitation, support letter, expression of interest, evidence of an application or approval process, or other written documentation of substantive communication.
Awards may support a research period of up to 12 months. For a full 12-month Fellowship, the standard support structure comprises a monthly stipend of USD 7,500 and up to USD 10,000 in additional support for research activities, academic travel, relocation, and related expenses. Total support may reach USD 100,000. The final amount, duration, and payment schedule will be specified in each recipient’s individual Fellowship Award Letter.
1. Curriculum vitae, including education, research experience, appointments, publications, representative projects, awards, and other relevant achievements.
2. Research proposal of approximately 1,500–2,000 words, addressing the research question, objectives, scope, methods, relationship to the annual theme or research areas, work plan, anticipated outcomes, and proposed research environment.
3. Personal statement of no more than 750 words, describing the applicant’s motivation, relevant experience, current research direction, and the Fellowship’s significance for their long-term academic or professional development.
4. Three representative works relevant to the proposed research, with a short explanation of their importance and relationship to the Fellowship project.
5. Information and supporting documentation concerning the proposed host institution or research environment.
6. Two letters of reference from experts familiar with the applicant’s research or professional work, submitted directly by the referees.
Application period: March 1–May 31, 2026
Application deadline: May 31, 2026, 23:59 (UTC+8)
Review and interviews: June 1–30, 2026
Selection notifications: beginning July 10, 2026
Application materials 1–5 should be prepared in English and combined, in the order listed above, into one searchable PDF file of no more than 25 MB. The file should be named 2026_ADW_Future_Design_Fellowship_Application_[Applicant Name].pdf and sent to official@asia-design-week.com. Reference letters should be sent separately by the referees with the subject line 2026 ADW Future Design Fellowship Reference – [Applicant Name].
Full Open Call: www.adwfellowship.com/2026-fellowship
Launched by the Asia Design Week Committee in 2026, the ADW Future Design Scholars Program supports design-led interdisciplinary research, international academic exchange, and the development of a global scholars network.
Its core annual funding initiative, the ADW Future Design Fellowship, provides external research support and academic exchange opportunities for independent research that demonstrates originality, interdisciplinary value, and a future-oriented perspective. Selected recipients become ADW Future Design Scholars.
Program website: www.adwfellowship.com
2026 Fellowship: www.adwfellowship.com/2026-fellowship
Annual theme and research areas: www.adwfellowship.com/research-areas
Contact: official@asia-design-week.com
Asia Design Week (ADW; Registration No. 76077932) is an international design organization and cultural exchange platform established and operated by the Asia Design Week Committee. Serving design communities across Asia and around the world, ADW advances design innovation, cross-cultural exchange, and sustainable social impact through thematic exhibitions, professional awards, research initiatives, publications, educational programs, and international partnerships.
ADW operates through its offices and regional collaborative networks across Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Seoul, connecting designers, scholars, educational institutions, and industry partners across Asia and beyond.
Asia Design Week website: www.asia-design-week.com
Kuala Lumpur Office: B4-02-4, Pantai Hillpark Phase 1, Jalan Pantai Murni 1, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Hong Kong Office: Room 1, 5/F, Sang Woo Building, 227–228 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
(+60) 1116687852
official@asia-design-week.com
