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Singapore’s highest honour for designers and designs across all disciplines
One of Asia’s premier design festivals that champions design thought leadership
National Design Centre

Address
111 Middle Road
Singapore 188969

Opening hours
Everyday 9am to 9pm

Design For design and enterprises

Good Design Research

4 min read
GDR Main KV (Web) - Main GDR Page v3

Believe that design can make a difference?

Let the Good Design Research initiative be the push you’d need to get started on the project you know is important but haven’t had the chance to grow.

Biocomposite tiles made from Kenaf fibre by Studio SKLIM being used as roofing elements for +Pavilion

Why apply to the Good Design Research initiative?

Experiment and innovate to make an impact with design through support from the Good Design Research (GDR) initiative – like past recipients including GINLEE Studio, Studio SKLIM and ART-ZOO.

Make time to delve into applied design research to seize new opportunities in emerging global trends and gain a competitive edge.  

If you are a practising designer or enterprise who is keen to design for impact through applied research and infuse innovation into your business, apply to GDR today!  

How will the GDR Grant support your project?
  1. Seed funding of up to S$50,000
    Need resources to get started? Get funding of up to 70% of the qualifying costs capped at S$50,000 to deliver the Proof of Concept over a maximum duration of 12 months. Examples of supportable items include material costs and third-party costs for research and prototyping.
  2. Mentorship from industry experts
    You don’t know what you don’t know. Learn and grow with advice from industry experts. Gain insights and new perspectives to refine your research process and intended impact.
  3. Accountability partners
    Your GDR project could be a year-long marathon. Commit to making change happen with regular check-ins and presentations at key project milestones designed to help you stay on track.
  4. Publicity
    Help your project to reach new audiences. Tap into potential publicity opportunities such as DesignSingapore Council’s social media channels and other platforms to showcase your project.  

How to apply?

To qualify for GDR, you must fulfil the below eligibility criteria:

Application TracksEligibility Criteria
Enterprises(i) Must be incorporated in Singapore for three years or more at the time of application

(ii) The lead applicant must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident
Individual Designers(i) Must be a practising designer with three years of working experience or more at the time of application

(ii) Must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident

Don’t meet the criteria yet? It’s not too early to start planning. Join the briefing session to learn more.

There are 3 different types of proposals you can put in:

  1. Submit a self-initiated proposal exploring these project tracks
  2. Respond to our open challenges here
  3. Respond to a real-world challenge statement here
Start planning to submit your application in April or October 2023! 

As a guide to prepare, download the Application Kit for reference here. Please note that the kits will be updated for each grant call.

Get notified of launch dates when calls for applications launch. 

Catch our briefing session for the October 2022 grant call to learn more!
Briefing Session: Good Design Research Grant (October 2022)
Watch Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B0EOD3GPto
Download briefing slides here: https://bit.ly/GDR-Oct-22-Briefing-Slides

Interested to find out about past supported GDR projects?

Find out how designers are making a difference with the support of the GDR Grant here

Other Useful Information

Any Questions?

For further enquiries regarding the Good Design Research initiative, please feel free to write in to goodesignresearch@designsingapore.org.

Good Design Research Resources

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VISIT
President*s Design Award
Singapore’s highest honour for designers and designs across all disciplines
Singapore Design Week
One of Asia’s premier design festivals that champions design thought leadership
National Design Centre