Connecting with industry

Our staff are practising professionals. They know exactly what's happening in the creative industries.

With their knowledge and contacts they help you make the most of your time at Falmouth. Not only by inviting guest lecturers at the top of their professional fields, but by helping you work on live projects, go on study trips and start making your own contacts.

Visiting speakers

Our reputation for quality has attracted many leading lights to Falmouth, be it as guest speakers, to attend conferences and symposiums or simply to be inspired by our annual Summer Shows and vibrant programme of exhibitions.

Visiting speakers have included:

• Film director, Ken Loach
• BAFTA-winning filmmaker, Molly Dineen
• Co-founder and creative director of Factory Records, Peter Saville
• Musician, Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner)
• Designers, Tomoko Azumi, Ed Barber and Jay Osgerby
• Illustrator, John Vernon Lord
• Internationally acclaimed performance group, Goat Island
• Bestselling authors, John le Carré and Patrick Gale
• Chairman of the Arts Council, historian, critic and broadcaster, Sir Christopher Frayling
• Former Director General of the BBC, Greg Dyke

Live projects

Nothing gives you more insight into life as a creative professional than working on a live project brief. We help students take on projects from organisations as diverse as The Body Shop, the National Health Service, the National Trust, Nike Asia and Decathlon.

Here are just a few projects our students have taken on:

• Sam Hofman, a Level 3 Photography student, was commissioned by Harper's Bazaar to produce a documentary feature about organic farming.
• We worked closely with the Design Council, Cornwall Council and the South West Regional Development Agency on the development of DOTT Cornwall, a programme of design activity, education and events to encourage new thinking and ideas that produce innovative solutions to social, environmental and economic issues.
• Students on our critically acclaimed MA in Television Production wrote, shot and edited a TV commercial to promote surfwear chain Big Wednesday on the Extreme Sports Channel.
• MA Professional Writing students work with agency Stranger Collective to create content for the Port Eliot Festival website and brochure.
• One of our practice-based research students, Jonty Lees, became Artist in Residence at Tate St Ives.
• Level 2 BA(Hons) Contemporary Crafts students displayed work at the National Trust-owned Trelissick Garden near Truro.

Take a look at our course pages for many more examples of projects you can take part in at Falmouth.

Study trips

Study trips provide fantastic opportunities for our students.

• BA(Hons) Illustration students spend several days with their tutors in New York, where they get to meet leading agents and art directors.
• BA(Hons) Textile Design students make visits to major trade fairs in Paris.
• BA(Hons) Graphic Design and MA Creative Advertising students spend time in London forging valuable links with top creative agencies.
• MA Professional Writing students go to the London Book Fair every year to take part in seminars and connect with experts in the rapidly evolving world of publishing.

But you don't have to leave Falmouth to stay in close touch with the creative industries worldwide. Our Fashion courses communicate regularly with international brands through the Fashion Studio's superb video conferencing facilities, while our Media courses have close working links with the BBC and a wide range of independent production companies.

Visit our course pages and find more opportunities to connect worldwide.

Cumulus

Cumulus is a prestigious international association of universities and colleges of art and design, based in Helsinki.

Cumulus began as a group of leading European design schools but has grown into the only truly global association for art and design education and research. It promotes the forging of international partnerships, knowledge transfer and the sharing of best practice.

We are now members of Cumulus which means our students can enjoy being part of a major international university in global art and design. It also provides many opportunities for student exchanges and joint projects with other member organisations.

Through our membership, we join an elite group of institutions from the UK that include the Royal College of Art, University College of the Creative Arts and Glasgow School of Art. This provides some brilliant national links for our students.

Academy for Innovation & Research

The Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR) is the home of research and business collaboration at University College Falmouth. We work closely with the creative industries, but we also work with many other sectors that can benefit from creative input.

The AIR building will be open in May 2012. This will be a primarily open-plan building, enabling researchers and business development staff to work with businesses in flexible project teams.

At the heart of the building will be a technology-rich, 3D enabled, interactive room for creative idea generation and planning of R&D projects, plus a range of flexible spaces for multi-disciplinary, live project work.