Research at the RCA is undertaken across the range of art and design disciplines: applied arts, communications, design, fine art and the humanities. Academic staff and research students contribute to the research culture of individual programmes and Schools, pioneering interdisciplinary research that realises the particular insights that art and design can offer. In addition, four research themes provide a framework for trans- and interdisciplinary research: Cultures of Curating; Design, Innovation and Society; Dialogues of Form and Surface; and Image and Language. A School Research Leader is responsible for the promotion and enhancement of research excellence in each School.
The College is home to the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design,
which is a pioneering multidisciplinary centre for people-centred
design research. The Centre leads research worldwide through three labs:
Age & Ability; Health & Patient Safety; and Work & City.
The RCA School of Communication and Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design jointly lead the Digital Research Lab, the College’s contribution to the major AHRC-funded Creative Exchange Hub in collaboration with Lancaster University and Newcastle University. The Hub brings together creative sector businesses and connects them with digital designers, major corporations and leading researchers in the arts and humanities to explore the potential of the digital public space.
The belief that knowledge can be generated, and questions answered,
through experimentation, creative enquiry, analytical scholarship and
development of innovative artefacts and designs, underpins our research
projects and outcomes.
The College’s academic environment is enhanced by extensive
partnerships with other world-class institutions – universities,
cultural organisations, government and industry. Our partners include
Lancaster University, Tsinghua University, Imperial College London,
Politecnico di Milano, the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Film
Institute, Cambridge University and the Science Museum.
Of the seven UK research councils, current RCA projects receive major
finding support from the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council),
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), ESRC
(Economic and Social Research Council) and MRC (Medical Research
Council). Public-sector and trust sponsors include the Arts Council
England, NHS, Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme and NESTA. Collaboration with
business is a vital component of the College’s contribution to the
creative economy. Business partnerships include projects with Microsoft,
Philips, Intel, Research in Motion and Ford.
Together, Research RCA carries important implications for art, design and society and the enrichment of cultural life.
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Professor Jeremy Aynsley
Director of Research