Ulster University’s Belfast School of Art, in partnership with the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), has announced that staff across both institutions – alongside Atlantic Technological University and the University of Limerick – have been awarded funding of just under €4 million to establish CO-CREATE Ireland: Art and Design Research Network for Inclusive Futures.
The funding, awarded under the Partnerships of Scale strand (Strand III) of North-South Research Programme (NSRP), will support collaboration among researchers and staff at the four higher education institutions and a diverse range of partners – including public bodies, non-profits, community-based arts and design organisations, and industry – across the island.
CO-CREATE aims to build new models of all-island cooperation through arts and design-led research. Its goals include:
- Advancing community-led public services that promote inclusion and sustainable development
- Supporting climate response and behavioural change through arts-led environmental action
- Developing Shared Island curricula with flexible, micro-credentialed courses in creative research methods
- Establishing a multidisciplinary all-island doctoral network focused on engaged art and design research.
Dr. Brian Dixon, Head of Belfast School of Art, is Co-Principal Investigator at Ulster University and Dr. Declan Long, Head of Doctoral Studies and Co-Director of MA/MFA Art in the Contemporary World, serves as Co-Principal Investigator at NCAD. CO-CREATE will involve multiple researchers across all four partner institutions.
Dr Brian Dixon, Head of Belfast School of Art at Ulster University, commented:
“CO-CREATE represents an exciting opportunity to demonstrate the transformative potential of art and design research in addressing the complex issues facing communities today. Through meaningful collaboration with our academic and civic partners, this initiative will contribute to shaping a more inclusive, sustainable and connected future for the island.”
CO-CREATE is one of four Shared Island projects to receive support through the NSRP, administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science (DFHERIS). The programme forms a key part of the Irish Government’s Shared Island Initiative.
Speaking on behalf of NCAD, Professor Sarah Glennie said:
“DFHERIS’s announcement of NSRP funding to support NCAD and Belfast School of Art in launching CO-CREATE marks a truly significant step towards crafting a more cohesive, all-island approach to leveraging the value of art and design practices and research methods. Through varied initiatives, CO-CREATE will uniquely platform the voices of public collaborators and develop their agency to address social, political and environmental challenges across the entire island of Ireland.”
Professor Liam Maguire, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at Ulster University, said:
“This funding and its future outcomes will be an example of the value of working together across the island of Ireland. CO-CREATE will show how research in art and design can make a real difference to people’s lives and communities.”
