News and events

Joined-up and working together through design

Published 30 June 2010

A collaboration enabling students and academics from the University of Brighton and the Royal College of Art to study and work with the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Institute of British Architects may be expanded nationwide.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey is expected to encourage more museums and universities to follow the example set by the University of Brighton-led project, the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD), when he speaks at the conference 'Learning at the interface: museum and university collaborations', at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) on Thursday 1 July.

The minister will talk on collaborative awards and how museums, archives and higher education can achieve excellence in partnership and extend learning and research opportunities.

The CETLD began five years ago with a £4.75m grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Conceived and led by the university's Faculty of Arts in collaboration with the V&A, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Royal College of Art (RCA), the CETLD was designed to extend and explore the educational and research opportunities for all partners for mutual benefit.

Focusing primarily on object scholarship, learning spaces and, object-based learning through the archives and collections of all partners, CETLD has supported 43 projects led by staff and students from across the collaboration, exploring emerging themes and developing new products, services, learning resources and spaces (physical, digital and conceptual).

One such new learning space, the CETLD-Bene Education Room at RIBA, was used by over 1,500 architecture and design students in two years whereas, previously, RIBA inducted only 50 to 60 students per year.

Also speaking at the two-day conference will be Roy Clare CBE, chief executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council; Anne Boddington, Dean of the University of Brighton's Faculty of Arts; Professor Bruce Brown, University of Brighton's Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research); Professor Christopher Reward, head of research at the V&A and David Anderson OBE, director of Learning and Interpretation at the V&A.

CETLD will also be presenting work by 30 art and design students from the University of Brighton and the RCA in an exhibition 'Designers of the Future' at the V&A during the conference.

Running until 25 July, the exhibition is open from 10am to 5.45pm daily in the Sackler Centre (Room 220) on the first floor. Admission is free.

Further information about CETLD is available on the CETLD website.