Design research
Investigate lived realities and emerging change through appropriate primary and secondary research. Document methods, sources, consent and limitations.
Evidence of practice: A research plan, evidence synthesis and source record.
A professional programme by Refuture Africa
Africa Futures
Fellowship
Build capability. Produce futures knowledge. Open possibilities for action.
A six-month programme in research, foresight and regenerative design. Investigate questions that matter to African contexts through Food Futures or Health & Wellbeing Futures, then develop a substantial research or design contribution.
Programme in preparation. Applications are not yet open.
An African futures practice
Enquiry that builds knowledge.
Knowledge that can inform action.
The fellowship brings practitioners together to build their capability and produce grounded, useful futures knowledge rooted in African contexts. Fellows investigate current realities, question assumptions, imagine multiple futures and examine how desired change could become possible.
We aim to contribute to the growing body of African futures scholarship and practice through documented research that others can question, use and build on.
Every project creates a research foundation. It then develops either a substantial futures research contribution or a design contribution that activates possibilities for action. Research can be a complete final outcome; a venture, policy or service proposition is another.
Explore our practiceShared learning and assessed practice
Six foundations.
Learned through real work.
Short teaching sessions, guided exercises, supervised inquiry and critique connect methods to each project.
Human-centred design
Understand needs, aspirations and experiences; involve affected people in framing, interpretation and design. Examine who has influence and whose needs remain overlooked.
Evidence of practice: Participant-informed insights, co-design evidence and a record of feedback.
Systems thinking
Examine relationships, institutions, power, incentives, resource flows and feedback. Identify possible points of change and unintended consequences.
Evidence of practice: A systems map and a reasoned account of intervention points.
Futures thinking
Question inherited assumptions, imagine multiple futures and explore whose futures are considered desirable. Use speculative work to make alternatives discussable.
Evidence of practice: Alternative future narratives and explicit desirability criteria.
Strategic foresight
Scan for signals and drivers, examine uncertainties, develop plausible scenarios and translate their implications into present decisions and transition pathways.
Evidence of practice: A signals collection, scenarios and strategic implications.
Regenerative design
Investigate the potential of a place and its living systems. Assess what a proposal could strengthen or deplete, who benefits and how people can steward change over time.
Evidence of practice: A regenerative assessment and a stewardship or learning plan.
All fellows practise the six foundations and show how they inform their work. Individual learning records and assessed project evidence make capability development visible.
How we hold the enquiry.
Our methods sit within a practice of African agency, plural futures, place and potential. These lenses shape whose questions we pursue and how we work with people and knowledge.
African agency
Questions and futures are shaped with people connected to African places and practices. Examine who frames the agenda and who has the power to act.
Plural and contested futures
Hold alternative futures in view. Desirability is discussed, challenged and revised rather than assumed to be shared.
Place and potential
Understand ecological, cultural, institutional and economic relationships in a particular place, and explore what those relationships could enable.
Decolonial foresight
Question inherited narratives and assumptions about progress, expertise and whose knowledge is valued.
Indigenous and ancestral knowledge
Engage living knowledge with context, permission and accurate credit. Do not treat communities as a source of material to extract.
Learning as a shared practice
Fellows contribute questions, experience and critique. The cohort learns through its work and helps refine the programme.
Choose your field of enquiry
Two thematic studios.
Broad questions. Bounded projects. Shared foundations and relevant supervision.
01 / Food Futures
Nourishment, livelihoods
and living systems.
What futures could African food systems enable, and what would it take to move towards them?
Explore production, nourishment, food cultures, access, trade, livelihoods, land, ecological relationships, governance and emerging change.
Possible contributions: a food futures scenario study, a systems analysis of access or livelihoods, a regenerative enterprise model, or a procurement or policy proposition.
Interested in Food Futures02 / Health & Wellbeing Futures
Care, wellbeing
and collective possibility.
What could health and wellbeing become, and how could systems of care support those futures?
Explore care relationships, prevention, access, trust, cultural practices, institutions, technology, financing and the social and environmental conditions of wellbeing.
Possible contributions: a care futures study, a systems or policy brief, a service or venture proposition, or a communication tool that opens public discussion.
Research involving clinical interventions or sensitive health data requires suitable specialist oversight, permissions and an agreed scope.
Interested in Health & WellbeingEach team narrows its enquiry to a defined place, audience and question. Kenya is the proposed initial field anchor; other African contexts are possible where research access and supervision are feasible.
Your six-month journey
From enquiry to contribution.
Months one to four focus on learning, research outputs, futures exploration and idea generation. In months five and six, teams deepen and validate a research contribution or develop and test a design contribution. The showcase takes place at the end of month six.
- Month 01
Frame and build foundations
What should we investigate, and with whom?
Learn the shared methods, examine possible and desirable futures, agree a bounded question and plan responsible research.
- Month 02
Research people and systems
What shapes present realities?
Investigate context, lived experience, institutions, power and ecological relationships. Build the evidence base and systems map.
- Month 03
Explore multiple futures
What could change, and what are we assuming?
Continue research, scan signals, construct scenarios and explore alternative concepts, questions and narratives.
- Month 04
Synthesize and choose a contribution
What knowledge or action should this work advance?
Review the research and futures brief. Choose a research or design contribution and agree its question, audience and assessment method.
- Month 05
Develop and examine
How strong is the evidence or proposition?
Research contributions deepen analysis and undergo critique. Design contributions develop prototypes and test decision-critical assumptions.
- Month 06
Refine and showcase
What have we learned, and what follows?
Validate interpretations or retest concepts, complete a permission-cleared output, showcase the learning and set out the next decision.
New evidence can change the question, the desired future or the proposition. Return to earlier work when it improves the enquiry.
Two possible final contributions
Advance understanding.
Activate possibilities.
All teams produce a research dossier, systems analysis and futures brief: a traceable evidence base, alternative futures and their implications. From this foundation, each team agrees one principal final contribution with its supervisors.
Futures research contribution
Produce knowledge that helps people understand change, question assumptions and make better-informed choices about African futures.
Possible forms: A scenario study, signals collection, systems analysis, policy brief, research publication or speculative research artefact.
Quality standard: Clear questions, traceable evidence, explicit methods and uncertainty, coherent futures reasoning, critical review and practical implications.
Design contribution
Translate futures research into a proposition that can support action and be examined or tested.
Possible forms: Venture creation or refinement, a business model, policy redesign, a service or institutional proposition, a communication tool or a speculative experience.
Quality standard: A clear link to research, considered alternatives, a developed proposition, appropriate testing, revisions and a reasoned next-step decision.
Research validation uses source checks, triangulation, critical review, scenario coherence and stakeholder interpretation. Design testing examines the most important assumptions through appropriate prototypes, feedback and revisions.
Every contribution includes a method and limitations statement, clear credits and a reasoned next-step decision. Selected work can be published following quality review and permission checks; confidential work can use an agreed public summary. Fellows also create an individual learning and contribution record.
Participation and delivery
A focused commitment.
Room for depth.
The proposed cohort is approximately 20 participants, with 10 per theme and four small project teams. One shared programme supports two themes and two contribution types.
Six months is sufficient for a carefully bounded contribution when access and supervision are organised. Longer studies, venture launch, policy adoption and extended implementation need their own resources and timetable.
Who should join?
Practitioners in research, design, strategy, policy, enterprise, programme delivery, technology, communications or another relevant field. Bring a connection to an African context, relevant experience and a willingness to collaborate. The first edition is for adults aged 18 and over.
How will the work fit?
Plan for approximately 15 hours a week across 24 facilitated weeks—about 360 hours. A typical week allocates three hours to shared learning, two to supervision and peer critique, eight to research or development, and two to preparation and documentation. The balance shifts with the project.
Teaching and critique are proposed in English, with local-language research coordinated where needed. Session hours, field access and accessibility arrangements will be confirmed before enrolment.
What does the fee cover?
The final offer will specify teaching, supervision, tools, research and development support, reviews, showcase participation and completion requirements. We will publish the fee, payment arrangements and terms before applications open.
This is a fee-paying programme. Participants or employers pay to join; there is no stipend. Registering interest is free and creates no payment obligation.
Useful details
Your questions.
Is this a paid fellowship?
This is a fee-paying professional programme: participants or employers pay to join. It does not provide a stipend or salary. The fee, inclusions and payment arrangements will be announced before applications open.
Do I need a design degree or previous foresight training?
No. Bring relevant experience, curiosity and evidence of how you investigate or contribute to a real question. All fellows learn the shared foundations; prior research or design experience can help you choose a final contribution.
Can I join from outside Kenya?
The proposed edition is remote-first and open to practitioners across Africa and the diaspora. Kenya is the proposed initial field anchor. Questions in other African contexts can be considered where research access, team participation and supervision are feasible.
When do I choose a contribution?
You may indicate an interest when registering. The final choice is made with supervisors by the end of month four, based on the question, evidence, your development goals and feasible access. Both contributions have equal standing.
Can I bring a question from my work?
Yes. It must fit one of the themes and be feasible within the programme’s time, research access and supervision. Every project is bounded by a place, an audience and a question; employer-funded places do not automatically include bespoke client deliverables.
Will I work individually or in a team?
Most project work is collaborative. The proposed cohort is approximately 20 participants, organised into four small teams across two studios. Every fellow also documents their own contribution and capability development.
Is six months enough?
Six months at approximately 15 hours a week supports a bounded research contribution or a developed and tested design proposition. It requires organised research access and supervision. Extensive longitudinal studies, venture launch and policy adoption need a separately resourced continuation.
Will every team implement a pilot?
Research contributions are examined through evidence checks, critique and stakeholder interpretation. Design contributions develop and test a proposition; a small controlled pilot is possible when resources and permissions allow. Longer implementation is separately scoped.
What will I receive on completion?
A credited body of project work, an individual contribution record and a Refuture-issued certificate when the published requirements are met. The certificate is not an accredited academic qualification or a professional licence.
Who owns the work?
Ownership, credit and permitted use are agreed before project work begins, including joint contributions, employer material, confidentiality and publication permissions. Publication is subject to quality review and consent; work is not automatically transferred to a sponsor.
Be part of the first edition
Bring your interest.
Help shape the enquiry.
Tell us which studio interests you and, if you already know, which contribution you might pursue. We will contact you with confirmed dates, fee and the application announcement.
This is an expression of interest, not an application or a reserved place. Employer-funded places and suitable project questions are welcome.
Questions? hello@refuture.africa
Thank you.
Your interest has been submitted. We will contact you with programme details when they are confirmed.
This is not an application or a reserved place.