Research and Innovation are well established within the Faculty of Art and Design at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Academics in the Faculty are research active with many artists, designers and critical thinkers recognised as being at the cutting edge of their fields.
The Faculty has built up an international reputation for the quality of its research practice as evidenced in the recent Research Excellence Framework (REF). Many of the Faculty’s leading academics have been supported through research grants from AHRC, Leverhulme Trust, British Council, Wellcome Trust, the Arts Council Wales and Wales Arts International.
The Faculty’s research can be broadly categorised as discipline specific, applied and practice-based, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity. This is closely aligned with the Faculty’s Knowledge Transfer activities. The Faculty also places a major focus on its work with industry and the third sector.
The Faculty’s applied research reflects an integrated approach to solving industry-led near-to-market problems. As well as being applied, solutions are also cross-disciplinary. The Faculty’s Schools, including CIRIC, have establised closer ties with external agencies and partners. The Faculty currently hosts regular interdisciplinary research meetings and facilitates knowledge exchange between researchers from across UWTSD and other universities.
In addition, the Faculty has established links with a number of commercial clients built up over the past 20 years. The Faculty has a strong reputation for business support and R&D funded through commercial contracts, ERDF and Interreg. Key to this is our Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre (CIRIC) established in 2005.
Academics in the Faculty exhibit and publish both nationally and internationally and work with arts and cultural organisations throughout Europe, America and Asia to introduce innovation in art, design and media to new audiences.
Swansea College of Art’s research submission to the Research Excellence Framework was assessed under the auspices of the Wales Institute for Research in Art and Design (WIRAD); a partnership with art and design researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University,the University of South Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The panel rated 97% of WIRAD’s research as international standard, with 75% rated as either Internationally Excellent or World Leading. The full results are available here
World Leading – 23% overall
Internationally Excellent – 52% overall
Internationally recognised – 22% overall
Nationally recognised – 2% overall
