Royal College of Art Announces Ten PhD Scholarships in Celebration of 175th Anniversary

The scholarships will be awarded to new students starting the academic year 2013/14 on the basis of an outstanding PhD proposal and relevance to the College's strategic research themes and centres. These include research across each of the College's six schools, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, which specialises in themes such as ageing population and well-being, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Creative Exchange Research Hub, which explores the future of the digital public space.

Announcing the new scholarships at the opening of The Perfect Place to Grow: 175 Years of the Royal College of Art, rector of the RCA, Paul Thompson, said: 'I am delighted to be able to offer ten outstanding research students the opportunity to study at this great institution. We hope the scholarships will attract the very best to the College where they will be part of the world’s most concentrated pool of art and design talent.'

The College has built an international reputation for advanced practice-led and interdisciplinary art and design research that informs new industrial and commercial processes, as well as contributing to society and culture. The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, for example, pioneered inclusive design, and has led award-winning projects, such as the NHS ambulance redesign, helping transform aspects of the healthcare and community sectors.

The AHRC Creative Exchange Research Hub and the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design recruited their first PhD students during the last academic year, and there are now 172 research students across the College’s six Schools of Architecture, Communication, Design, Fine Art, Humanities and Material.

Scholarships are open to new home, EU and overseas PhD students holding an offer to start at the Royal College of Art, except those with Home Research Councils UK or equivalent full funding.