Explore Our Projects
The MDC collaborates across disciplines through academic and industry partnerships to address system design issues in Minnesota.
Biomimetics International Industry Strategy Symposium
Biomimetics26: Generational Scaling
Assembling Ecosystems to Deliver Solutions at Scale & Advocating for the People and Organizations Building Them
November 9, 2026, 8:45am CT - November 10, 2026, 5:30pm CT
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
MDC is proud to co-sponsor Biomimetics26, the annual Industry Strategy Symposium for the world's nature-inspired innovation community, the place where the industry’s foremost leaders convene to scale solutions from lab to market. MDC Director and Professor of Architecture Thomas Fisher is a featured speaker. Visit the symposium website for a detailed agenda and registration info.
MDC Faculty Grant Proposal Submissions
The Minnesota Design Center (MDC) is currently accepting applications from College of Design faculty (adjunct, P&A, and tenure-track) for research funding that aligns with MDC's mission.
Proposals (limited to 5 pages total) should include:
- Scope of work
- List of collaborators
- Project timeline
- Detailed budget (not to exceed $5,000)
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. To support broad access to funding, a PI may receive funding through this program no more than once every three years. Please reach out to Emma Fisher at [email protected] with any questions.
For 15 years, MDC has partnered with communities across Minnesota and the upper Midwest to find innovative solutions to our communities' most pressing design problems. Learn more about the research we have conducted, the partners we've worked with, and the results of our work in our 15th Anniversary Report.