Global Innovation Design MA/MSc, a joint program between the Royal College of Art and Imperial College
In its 10 year lifetime GID has come to stand distinctly for socially and ethically motivated design interventions, with a lesser (but still present) emphasis on technology. There is no requirement to justify a project commercially, rather students are pushed to articulate its intended positive impact in terms of people and planet, demonstrating stakeholder engagement (‘with not for’) and system-level understanding. An example: the 2023/24 Grand Challenge saw students across the RCA’s School of Design explore London as a coastal city using co-design with local communities to address complex and urgent challenges. The projects support behaviour change among citizens and organisations through the use of ocean science, co-design and place-based approaches to address the impacts of cities on the ocean and increase city resilience to ocean-related impacts of climate change.
The course is currently on hold following a change in the partnership structure. RCA is exploring the possibilities for a new iteration of the programme but is not accepting applications this year.
Students are welcomed from a range of disciplines and cultures, with a strong first degree, as long as they demonstrate creative and technical fluency, critical thinking, and motivation to bring change to the world. Applications to the programme are assessed by portfolio, a written personal statement and a short video self-introduction. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed by faculty from both universities. Throughout the two year journey, GID fosters a collaborative approach to innovation, driven by curiosity, empathy and rigour. The student is encouraged to cultivate their personal passions, develop individual design voice and process, and carve their own path through open-ended project spaces. To support skills development, a number of projects also involve multidisciplinary teams working together on real world challenges.
Faculty and guest lecturers draw on their own research from a variety of disciplines and subject areas including sustainable materials, humanitarian innovation, creativity and collaboration, design for behaviour change. Contributors to taught units include a diverse range of professors and practitioners eg of human rights law, collective intelligence, AI, public health, behavioural psychology, and biomaterials.
London, England, UK
