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Knowledge Exchange

Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art engages in knowledge exchange with business, government, the non-profit sector and the design community through education and events, publications and industrial collaborations.

Four programmes in particular drive our work in knowledge exchange:

  • The Helen Hamlyn Design Awards, the centrepiece of our student programme, aim to recognise and reward graduating RCA design students who are addressing social challenges in their project work.
  • The Helen Hamlyn Research Associates Programme enables new Royal College of Art design graduates to undertake one-year industry-funded projects with external partners.
  • Include is an international network and a series of biennial conferences which aim to develop the theory and practice of inclusive design. It has a special focus on bringing academics and practitioners together.
  • The international Challenge Workshops focus on inclusive design practice as a tool for innovation and is aimed at designers and business organisations.

In January 2012, the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (in partnership with the RCA School of Communication) joined The Creative Exchange, one of four Knowledge Exchange hubs funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The Creative Exchange brings the RCA, Lancaster University and Newcastle University together to explore new opportunities for the creative and media based industries. The aim of The Creative Exchange will be to expand the creative economy through new forms of citizen participation in digital public space. More...