- In its sixth year, the annual research collaboration continues to examine the convergence of biodesign and biomimicry, advanced art and design practices, and the future of mobility across the globe
- In the 2025–26 Regeneration Studio, faculty and students explore the theme of “Tangible Futures” via two courses and complementary programming
Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) are pleased to continue their pioneering multiyear research partnership exploring the relationship between nature, art and design, and the future of mobility around this year’s theme of “Tangible Futures.”
Now in its sixth year, the collaboration brings together RISD faculty and staff members, student researchers, and designers from Hyundai Motor, Genesis and Kia working together to explore innovative materials, products, manufacturing methods, services, and experiences. The Regeneration Studio, led by an advanced scientific team in RISD’s Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab, is bringing to life entirely new concepts in bio-innovation, examining natural environments, systems, processes, and organisms with the intent to design a more circular and less harmful human-planet relationship.
The programming for the year comprises a fall biodesign studio course, a spring advanced studio course, and an extended summer research opportunity, including weeklong intensives and fellowships for Hyundai Motor Group designers and engineers. These courses, supported by the Industrial Design department and the Nature Lab, operate as an interdisciplinary workspace for a cohort of students from multiple departments on campus. Within this framework, faculty and students work in conversation with Hyundai Motor Group design engineers on research and critical inquiry regarding sustainable innovations, ideations, and ecological futurity.
“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group,” said RISD President Crystal Williams. “Our work together reinforces our shared commitment to advancing society through the exploration of innovative materials, products, methods, services, and experiences. It has been a pleasure for RISD, through the Regeneration Studio, to be supported by South Korean designers who have become trusted colleagues and thought partners. We look forward to another productive year of this forward-looking relationship.”
“Our creative journey starts and ends with people, with the human experience at its core,” said SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai & Genesis Global Design. “Yet, we look to the wisdom of nature to guide us – humbled by its timeless lessons on sustainability and inspired to reimagine how we move. Through the Regeneration Studio, we are not only exploring new design possibilities but also deepening our commitment to a future where mobility is regenerative, human-centered, and in harmony with the living world.”
The Regeneration Studio conducts investigations deeply informed by scientific understanding of the natural world with advanced studio pedagogies and innovative ways of making. Unlike a traditional program sponsorship, the unique partnership continues to bring innovation through differentiated approaches. From September 2025 through May 2026, students will engage in two studio courses that combine scientific rigor with creative inquiry, working closely with faculty and the Nature Lab staff to explore deep biomimicry and biodesign methodologies. Through this immersive process, students will investigate innovative materials, products, manufacturing methods, services, and experiences—advancing regenerative design and shaping tangible futures.
In the summer, teams of Hyundai Motor Group designers and engineers engage in a five-day session on campus, and select Sustainability Fellows fully immerse themselves in developing regenerative strategies and structural innovations within the Nature Lab during an eight-week stay.
“It is precisely because RISD has such an impact on the world of design that we never rest on our laurels. With such influence comes a responsibility we welcome and one we are delighted to hold as we continue our deeply meaningful partnership with the Hyundai Motor Group – we amplify advanced design solutions that restore our relationship with living systems,” said RISD Provost Touba Ghadessi. “In doing so, we create actionable outcomes today that build on ecologically-minded design and nature-based epistemologies, while carving a path for future designers and researchers who will build on this legacy. Today, together, HMG and Hyundai create the just future we all wish to envision, not only for mobility solutions, but for generations of humans who share this planet and want to replenish its resources.”
“We design tomorrow with nature’s wisdom,” said Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design. “By observing nature and drawing inspiration from it, we envision a future where the mark made by humanity echoes our responsibility toward the planet – shaped by the decisions we make today.”
The Regeneration Studio continues to build upon the unique collaborative research platform designed solely for Hyundai Motor Group in 2019 by RISD Academic & Creative Partnerships (formerly called Strategic Partnerships) and the Nature Lab. RISD faculty and Nature Lab scientists and researchers have guided students through various modes of inquiry since the collaboration began. Hyundai Motor Group designers provide valuable feedback throughout the process.
To download high-resolution images of this project, videos, and other artifacts, please visit here.
