Research Environment

Through research, scholarship and professional practice NUCA aims to develop new ideas and share innovative outcomes that help to engender public and commercial benefits beyond its core activity of teaching.

Academic staff and research students are professionally engaged in a spectrum of research and consultancy activities, informed by the institution's long history of creative and critical practice in art, design and media. Research at NUCA embraces work of national and international significance including collaborations, commissions, work with business and civic and community projects in the UK and overseas.

NUCA aspires to produce research of the highest quality with benefits for contemporary culture and society, and which refreshes and enhances the student experience.

Research Environment

A vibrant and forward-looking subject specialist environment supports our research. Our exceptional resources include cutting edge technologies for practice-based research into moving image and sound. Our Gallery hosts thought-provoking exhibitions, which contribute to our research into the interpretation and curation of contemporary art, design and media.

Our Research and Consultancy Network encapsulates a broad spectrum of activities, supporting individual projects developed in partnership with other organisations. We are a founding member of the GuildHE Consortium for Research Excellence, Support and Training (CREST), which promotes research led by specialist UK higher education institutions.

Exciting programmes of exhibitions, events and symposia organised through our Research and Consultancy Network support our research and consultancy activities. Regular research seminars, critical discussion groups and research forums underpin our research training. Our whole research and consultancy community meets at least three times a year to debate topical issues and share best practice.

From its inception as the Norwich Gallery in 1997, our Gallery has presented over 70 exhibitions including solo and group shows of established and emerging artists, staff and students. Individual Gallery programmes have been toured to a range of exhibition venues throughout Europe, Australia and North America. The renowned open submission exhibition EASTinternational has been held at the University College since 1991.

Alongside an important collection of historical artworks, the University College holds a range of contemporary resources relating to EASTinternational and the Gallery. These include materials from over 90 exhibitions featuring the work of over 700 artists, including many prominent figures in the international contemporary art world. Our animation archives include a significant volume of unique materials drawn from our rich history of animation education and international festival production.