New Welsh Institute Promotes Research Excellence
Wales’s most talented people engaged in research in the creative industries were brought together at the launch of the Wales Institute for Research in Art and Design (WIRAD), which took place at the home of the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff.
WIRAD is led by two founding partners - The University of Wales, Newport and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). Both universities are leading the way in research in art and design, scoring 5 and 4 respectively in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and house between them a broad range of exciting and internationally leading research.
Paul Gough, Chair of the Art and Design Research Assessment Exercise for 2008, gave his stamp of approval to the new institute at the launch which was attended by over 100 guests from the creative industries and local and national government.
“There is an unfortunate myth that art and design as a discipline cannot act in collaboration. Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Mr Gough, who is also Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of the West of England.
“We all know that successful design teams have to work closely together, pooling their skills, each contributing their unique expertise. Like it or not, we make good partners and natural collaborators, but creating a community takes courage and vision."
WIRAD aims to become Wales' premier Art and Design research institution and an internationally significant player in the Art and Design research field by building on the research excellence and talent that Wales possesses.
The Institute operates an "open door" policy and plans to actively invite other Welsh Institutions to join with the aim of building a pan-Wales resource for Art and Design research.
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