What MOD. does

MOD. (a Museum of Discovery) is a publicly funded, free-entry museum located on the Adelaide University City West campus in Adelaide, South Australia, operating at the intersection of art, science, and innovation with a focus on futures thinking. Founded in 2017 and legally operated by Adelaide University (formed from the merger of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia), the institution targets young people aged 15-25 and the broader South Australian public through rotating exhibitions, events, and participatory programs.

Its core product is the exhibitions program — most recently the multi-gallery BEGINNINGS exhibition running through 2026 alongside the BROKEN exhibition and Transformative Repair exhibit — supported by digital and physical interactives that combine extended reality (AR/XR), touchscreen installations (Kuri Kurru), interactive game-based exhibits (Crisis Control), and speculative artifacts (BEGINNINGS 2100 pop-ups). Underlying technology is sourced through a research collaboration with Adelaide University's Realities Extended group rather than internally developed AI or software products. The supporting ecosystem includes the Youth Board, Futurists-In-Residence fellowship, Weaving Yarns program for First Nations creatives, Foresight Community of Practice, schools programs, and an on-site shop and café.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial: primary funding flows from Adelaide University and government sources, supplemented by a small number of corporate and government sponsors (SA Water, BHP, Pembroke School, Arts South Australia, CreateSA), venue hire, publication sales, and retail/café income. Pricing is freemium — free admission to all visitors with paid ancillary offerings — and go-to-market is event-driven, centered on rotating exhibitions, community programs, regional pop-ups, and digital content (MOD.Cast, articles, social). The museum is governed by university leadership under Director Kristin Alford and operates with no external equity investment.

Name

MOD.

Legal name

MOD. (Museum of Discovery), Adelaide University

Website

https://mod.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MOD. is a free-entry, university-operated Museum of Discovery in Adelaide, Australia, delivering interactive exhibitions, futures-thinking programs, and Indigenous knowledge initiatives primarily for young people aged 15-25.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Cultural Institution

NAICS

Museums (71211), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Interactive museum exhibitions
• Futures thinking programs
• Science communication events
• Educational museum workshops
• Indigenous cultural programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government/University Funding: MOD. is operated by Adelaide University with funding from government sources and the university. The museum operates with free entry to visitors, supported by institutional funding.
2. Venue Hire: The museum offers venue hire and catering services for events and private functions.
3. Retail (MOD. shop + café): On-site café and retail shop offering treats, beverages, and merchandise.
4. Publication Sales: Sale of books and publications such as 'Beyond BROKEN' available online and in-person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

MOD. is a publicly funded future-focused museum that provides free-entry interactive exhibitions, public events, and educational programs at the intersection of art, science, and innovation. The museum sells complementary services such as venue hire, on-site retail and café, publication sales, and sponsored programs (Futurists-In-Residence, First Nations Digital Initiatives, school programs) targeting young people aged 15–25, schools, families, and the Adelaide community.

Product overview

MOD. is a Museum of Discovery (future-focused museum) in Adelaide, Australia, operating as a single unified institution offering interactive exhibitions, public events, educational programs, and digital experiences. The core offering consists of rotating exhibitions (currently BEGINNINGS) with multiple interactive gallery spaces, supported by events programming (Q Series, Ethos discussions, SALA talks), the MOD.Cast podcast, and participatory programs including Youth Board, Futurists-In-Residence, and educational offerings for schools. The museum features digital interactives like Crisis Control, MiNi song-making, and Transformative Repair digital collaborations with Adelaide University's Realities Extended. MOD. also offers venue hire and operates an on-site shop and café.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BEGINNINGS Exhibition The current major exhibition at MOD., exploring themes of beginnings and how positive change can be made, featuring multiple galleries with interactive installations including the Celestial Navigation futures-thinking gallery. Free entry for visitors.
• Transformative Repair Exhibit Digital interactive exhibit investigating and cultivating new forms of creative repair practice among artists, designers, craftspeople and creative professionals, combining hand-repaired artworks with interactive digital technology.
• MOD. Crisis Control Centre Exhibit Interactive digital game exhibit featuring AI character PUDDING, teaching preparedness skills through puzzle challenges and phone call simulations with experts.
• BROKEN Exhibition Major exhibition exploring work across Australia that demonstrates change is happening, with sub-exhibits on hope theory, democracy, nature, housing, and learning futures. Available in-person and complemented by publication 'Beyond BROKEN'.
• Events Program (Q Series, Ethos, SALA Artist Talks, Quiz Nights) Public events program including Q Series (comedy-science hybrid), Ethos (ethics discussions), SALA Artist Talks, quiz nights, and regional events bringing researchers and audiences together.
• MOD.Cast Podcast Podcast series featuring conversations about designing a museum and experiments in science, art, and innovation at the intersection of futures thinking. Available via website and YouTube.
• Future Minds Lecture Series AI-focused public lectures delivered by Australian AI researchers and educators, addressing creativity, ethics, and technology in creative work.
• Weaving Yarns Workshop Program First Nations-led intercultural exchange workshops on curatorial practices, storytelling, and immersive design for Indigenous artists and arts workers in South Australia.
• Futurists-In-Residence Program Fellowship program hosting distinguished academics and practitioners from futures and foresight fields to exchange frameworks and methodologies with the MOD. team. Sponsored by SA Water, BHP, and Pembroke School.
• Schools Program Educational offerings for primary and secondary school groups including curriculum-aligned experiences, guided tours, and facilitated visits booked through the Schools page.
• Venue Hire and Catering Rental of MOD. facilities including Studio A for events, meetings, private functions, and corporate events, with catering services available.
• MOD. Shop + Café On-site retail and food service at the museum offering treats, beverages, and museum merchandise to visitors.
• BEGINNINGS 2100 Pop-up Exhibition Pop-up collection of 15 speculative artifacts displayed across Adelaide University campuses (Mawson Lakes, Mount Gambier, Roseworthy, Waite, Whyalla) imagining innovations between 2026 and 2100.
• Beyond BROKEN Publication Companion book/publication to the BROKEN exhibition, available for purchase online and in the MOD. shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kuri Kurru (Turning Circle) won Permanent Exhibition or Gallery Fitout award at MAGNA 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• CreateSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2026CreateSA's industry development pilot connects First Nations digital creatives to networks and technologies. MOD. hosted three First Nations artists (Kat Bell, Adam Jenkins, Arthur Ah Chee) for a 12-week placement exploring immersive technologies.
• Arts South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2024Arts South Australia (Department of the Premier and Cabinet) partners with MOD. to deliver the First Nations Digital Initiatives Augmented Reality Masterclass, building digital capabilities for South Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives.
• Adelaide UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOD. is operated by and located at Adelaide University (formerly University of Adelaide and University of South Australia combined). The university provides operational funding, research partnerships, and hosts the museum on its City West campus. Researchers collaborate with MOD. on exhibitions and programs.
• Adelaide University Realities ExtendedcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with Adelaide University's Realities Extended research group for interactive digital components of exhibitions like Transformative Repair, combining XR technology with exhibition design.
• Pembroke SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPembroke School sponsors a Visiting Research Fellowship (VRF) position supporting Futurists-In-Residence, with Dr Jilda Andrews from ANU as the Pembroke School VRF fellow.
• Karl 'Winda' TelfercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaurna Traditional Owner and artist Karl Telfer collaborates on Indigenous knowledge integration, creating the award-winning Kuri Kurru interactive installation and other cultural content representing Kaurna seasons and knowledge.
• Yundi Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Yundi Nature Conservancy for field trips and environmental programs. John Fargher (landowner/restoration ecologist) and Mark Koolmatrie (Ngarrindjeri storyteller) facilitate on-Country learning experiences.
• Realities Extended, Adelaide UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationResearch platform collaboration combining interactive digital technology with creative repair practice research. Partners include artists, designers, and researchers from Adelaide University.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Powerhouse Museum: Sydney's major science, design, and technology museum (part of Museums of History NSW). A larger, established player operating in the same art-science-technology intersection space as MOD., but with much broader collections, larger audience, and national reach.
• Australian Museum: Sydney's Australian Museum is a major natural history and anthropology institution with significant educational programming. A broader incumbent in the Australian museum landscape, operating at much larger scale than MOD. with national reach.
• National Museum of Australia: Australia's national social history museum in Canberra, with rotating exhibitions covering Australian stories and culture. A broader incumbent operating in similar cultural-institution territory, with national mandate and significantly larger resources than MOD.

Direct peers

• Questacon: Australia's National Science and Technology Centre, offering interactive science exhibitions and education programs. Comparable to MOD. as an Australian interactive science-engagement institution with a strong youth and education focus, though at significantly larger scale.
• ArtScience Museum: Singapore's art-science museum at Marina Bay Sands, featuring rotating exhibitions at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Comparable to MOD.'s art-science-innovation positioning and use of interactive digital installations, though operating in a tourism-driven commercial venue model.
• Science Gallery International: Global network of 'science gallery' venues targeting young adults at the intersection of art and science, with rotating exhibitions and university-based operations. Closely comparable to MOD.'s youth-focused, art-science-innovation model and university partnership structure.
• Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa: New Zealand's national museum, blending art, history, and science with strong bicultural (Māori) programming and interactive galleries. Closely comparable to MOD.'s model of integrating Indigenous knowledge with contemporary science and futures thinking.
• MONA (Museum of Old and New Art): Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art is an experimental, provocation-led museum with rotating exhibitions targeting adult audiences seeking unconventional experiences. Comparable to MOD. in its willingness to challenge museum conventions and blend art, science, and provocative programming.
• Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI): Melbourne's national museum of film, TV, video games, digital culture, and art, with rotating exhibitions and strong youth-engagement programming. Comparable to MOD. as an Australian museum blending culture, technology, and interactive digital experiences targeting younger audiences.

Regional players

• South Australian Museum: Adelaide's major natural history and anthropology museum, located in the same city as MOD. Both institutions serve the South Australian cultural and education ecosystem, though SAM focuses on natural history collections rather than futures-oriented programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCthCFzHNMSXcfAOPxdJGMqg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MODmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/modmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/mod_museum
• TikToktiktok.com/@mod_museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MOD.