Key enablers

The RCA firmly believes in the cultural, social and economic values of the creative arts, humanities and design because we can demonstrate that these disciplines build social cohesion, unlock individual talent and potential, drive economic growth and bring a sense of community, fulfilment and pleasure that has been recognised and proven over centuries. We are committed to widening student access and participation to – and improving attainment in – postgraduate education, both for individual enrichment and the public good. We wish to support and enable artists and designers to have meaningful, rewarding and sustainable careers in their chosen fields.

These convictions demand that the RCA becomes an anti-racist institution and an institution that commits to equity, diversity and inclusion goals, including reaching net zero in recognition of the disproportionate impact climate crisis has upon vulnerable communities and biodiversity.

Our commitments are underlined through our values. These values provide a framework for the way we will work and operate together to deliver our vision and strategy; they will help shape our strategic choices, our activities and our culture.

Curiosity: We have a tenacious commitment to innovation, and are open to change. We positively interrogate ideas, assumptions and plans and welcome the honest scrutiny that is alive in a learning community.

Inclusion: We celebrate diversity and we embrace difference as a source of strength. We strive for an inclusive RCA community, removing barriers and challenging exclusionary and discriminatory practice.

Collaboration: We value what happens together and we help and support each other to achieve our collective goals. We work in partnership with our students, staff, alumni and organisations and communities across the globe to make a lasting difference.

Integrity: We are always willing to listen, we offer constructive feedback and we promote accountability, building relationships of mutual trust and respect. We are resilient in the face of challenges, pursuing outcomes with individual, cultural, societal and economic impact.

Our faculty, students and alumni generate powerful networks internationally and exert a formidable ability to convene diverse communities of scientists, artists, entrepreneurs and leading thinkers. We want to be able to recruit and retain the world-leading faculty; and to continue to attract the world’s most talented students.

We’re advancing our equality, diversity and inclusion objectives, supporting a College community which is diverse, multicultural and inclusive, as we enact our action plan to become an anti-racist institution.

Once our students join us, we want them to have the best possible experience of the RCA. We will continue to invest in our talent by increasing student support, creating a new Student Hub and role of Head of Student Experience, and working in a positive way with our Students’ Union.

With our staff, we will embed the RCA’s beliefs and values to enable a high-performance culture with effective leadership and management, in which staff can develop, be supported and appropriately rewarded. We’re increasing the proportion of our permanent academic faculty members as a percentage of the workforce, supporting the student learning experience and world-leading research.

The RCA is proud to have been voted the leading art and design university for eight years in a row, and we believe we hold responsibilities to lead, convene and advocate on behalf of both the education sector and creative industries at a national and international level, working with the UK Government, Creative UK, Universities UK and their partners.

Our alumni make a global impact and we’re proud of their achievements. We’ll also celebrate, champion and support our alumni throughout their careers.

The responsible management of our finances and investments will underpin our success in all other areas of this plan. To achieve our goals, we will make important strategic investments in the short term, leading to greater annual surpluses after 2024. We’ll advocate for and secure ISTA funding for another five years from the Office for Students, achieve our philanthropy target of raising a total of Åí100m for our comprehensive capital campaign, establish more support for scholarships, and create a new investment fund for InnovationRCA start-ups.

RCA Logitech Scholarship Programme

In October 2021, the RCA and Logitech announced a donation of £1m to establish new scholarships that will tackle student hardship and ensure the diversity of the College community. The RCA Logitech Scholarship Programme will create a viable pathway into the design industry for young people from underrepresented communities. Logitech has previously invested in the goals and ambitions of the RCA and its students through its support of the RCA Grand Challenge initiative. This scholarship programme feeds directly into Logitech’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and its belief that bringing together people with different perspectives, skills and ideas drives innovation.

The quality of our physical and digital infrastructures has a direct impact on the successful delivery of this plan. We will create an estates masterplan which balances excellence with affordability and looks to consolidate our estates. We’ll accelerate investment in digital management information systems in order to contain costs and make processes more efficient for everyone.