Washington D.C. Some three dozen Discovery Institute fellows submit their analyses and proposals for dialog through seminars, conferences and debates. They produce reports, articles, books, congressional testimony, films and a website that helps spread knowledge of the Institute's ideas. They also consult with elected and appointed officials, business people, academics, media and the general public to show how 21st century humanity can benefit from the principles, policies and practices advocated by the Institute. Current projects explore the fields of technology, science and culture, legal reform, national defense, the environment and the economy, the future of democratic institutions, transportation, religion and public life, government entitlement spending, foreign affairs and cooperation within the bi-national region of Cascadia. Discovery selects a research and advocacy project when it is in harmony with its mission, when the Institute can make an original and significant contribution to the issue's development and when it is within the Institute's resources.
Most issues selected are of national or international scope.
In terms of funding, the major Discovery projects are the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture, Cascadia, and Technology. Smaller projects include defense policy and religion and public life. Discovery Institute's focus on technology is generally concerned with issues within the U.S., such as its recent work on the Y2K problem. Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture strives to replace scientific materialism and its destructive cultural legacies with a positive scientific alternative. By detecting evidence of intelligent causes in natural systems, Intelligent Design theorists are advancing the scientific case for design.