The Centre for Research in Interdisciplinary Creative Practice

External Relationships

The School has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), which has led to two PhD YSP Scholarships focusing upon the National Art Education Archive. The School is currently progressing other MoU’s with Hepworth Yorkshire and Huddersfield Art Gallery The MoUs provide formal agreements on seeking mutual benefits for all institutions in respect of supporting research and placement opportunity for postgraduate research. The School also has close working relationships with the following:

Jonathan Sands is a great supporter of Graduate Shows and was instrumental in leading a 24 hour design challenge as part of the School’s Design Day. Jonathan is Chairman of Elmwood (Brand Design) and former Chairman of the Design Business Association (1995 – 97). He is a non-executive director of Networking for Industry and a past member of the RSA Council, he was a council member of the Design Council. Jonathan was awarded an OBE in the Queens New Years Honours List 2011.

Sir James Dyson is another great supporter to the School in respect of graduate employment. Sir James is a British industrial designer and founder of his company Dyson. He is best known as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on cyclonic separation. In 1997, Dyson was awarded the Prince Phillip Designers Prize. In 2000 he received the Lord Lloyd of Kilgerran Award. In 2005 he was elected as a Fellow at The Royal Academy of Engineering. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the New Year's Honours December 2006. His net worth in 2011 was said to be £1.45 billion.

David and Luisa Scacchetti founders of designer nursery products Mama and Papas, they too are also great supporters to the School in respect of student placement and graduate employment.

Visiting Professors to the School include Professor Dean Hawkes, John Miles and David Arbuckle. Professor Dean Hawkes is a specialist in sustainable architecture was winner in 2010 of the RIBA Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education. Professor Hawkes who regularly contributes to the Architecture courses is Emeritus Professor of Architectural Design at Cardiff University, Emeritus Fellow at Darwin College, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of the RSA. His academic roles include: Department of Architecture at Cambridge University (1965—1995); Chair of Architectural Design at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University (1995—2002); Visiting Professor at the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore. Professor John Miles has been Design Director at Courtaulds, Design Director and manager of Furnishing at Next, and Design Director of DMC in France. He has been involved in helping to set up several Textile Design Studios in London including Miles, Calver and Pound, Peppermint Prints, Studio Clare and Lyn, Whiston and Wright and John Miles Partnership. He became the first Professor of both Fashion and Textiles at the Royal College of Art in 1989 where he worked for over eight years. Professor David Arbuckle of Jaguar has supported textile and transport design students with car design projects at Jaguar.