Partnerships
Forming a research partnership with Emily Carr University
As an international leader in art, media, and design, Emily Carr University welcomes opportunities to connect our students, faculty, and network with external partners from diverse communities and environments.
We pride ourselves on a collaborative approach to learning that is co-created by our faculty and students. Our partnerships follow the same ethos: we consistently partner on innovative, cutting-edge research projects that creatively tackle today's most interesting challenges.
Interested in forming a research partnership with Emily Carr University? Contact us.
The textiles industry has been long overdue for a change—fast fashion and unsustainable production practices have taken their toll on the environment and local communities.
It's with this in mind that Emily Smith, ECU's Faculty Research Lead, founded the Fibreshed Field School. In partnership with the Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship, the Fibreshed Field School uses experiential methods to connect artisans, farmers, and educators with local fibre systems and supply chains.
Read more about Fibreshed's creative and sustainable business model.
Visit the Fibreshed project website for more information and a link to the publication.
Innovative projects that inspire across industries and disciplines
Broadly speaking, we look to partner and collaborate with organizations working on research projects in the following key areas:
Sustainability and environmental practices
Indigenous research and culture
Social justice, innovation, and community
Studio art and collaborative projects
Design projects from commercial to experimental
Media innovation
Intersections of culture and technology
Experimental forms of practice-based research
Tyler Hawkins (BDes 2020) recently received funding from the Government of Canada to create the world's first customizable font catering to individuals with low vision. Called "Access Font," the groundbreaking project tailors fonts to readers' specific needs to make on-screen reading more accessible for all. This project is supported by the Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship and the Health Design Lab.
Read more about Access Font's visionary research.
These partnerships can take a number of different forms in the short- and long-term. Examples of partnerships ECU has engaged in before include:
Experiential, practice-based, and academic research projects
Co-authorship and publication work
Faculty exchange and co-instruction
Organizational partnerships
Volunteering
Co-op and student employment
Long-term creative projects
Sponsored studio courses
Collaborative field schools with faculty and students
Partnerships with SMEs and non-profit cultural organizations
Funded projects via MITACS, IRAP, or any other funding streams
Sam Talbot, (BDes 2019), is bringing graphic design resources for the Sunshine Coast through her work with the Graphic Research Unit, the practice-based research project Graphic Lab for Teens.
A one-of-a-kind resource on the coast, The Graphic Lab for Teens aims to address challenges that teenagers face when looking for publication and design resources, and empower them with the tools they need to work in communication design.
Learn more about how COMD researchers are supporting this important project.
Why partner with Emily Carr University?
A research partnership with Emily Carr University is unlike any other. One of the only free-standing art universities in British Columbia, and ranked among the top 50 universities for art and design worldwide, Emily Carr University merges top academics and artists with contemporary theory and cutting-edge technologies to provide an education that is informed by tradition but unafraid to innovate.
Guided by our commitment to social change and our core strengths as a world leader in art, media, and design, we're uniquely positioned to form dynamic relationships with knowledge producers across diverse communities and industries.
Our partnerships are based on the belief that research in visual arts, media, and design is vital for the well-being of both local and global communities. To this end, our one-of-a-kind research centres are purpose-built and equipped to facilitate important collaborations across industries and art- and media-based practices.
Led by ECU associate professor Julie Andreyev and Maria Lantin, this new project series uses immersive media to build empathy for the 1,308 trees slated for removal from Burnaby as part of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Branching Songs is part of the ongoing Wild Empathy project which uses new media and sound techniques to raise awareness of the value and irreplaceability of BC’s ancient trees. The project has expanded to involve students of the New Media + Sound Art major at ECU, under guidance from Julie and Maria.
Collectively, our research centres empower our network of researchers, faculty, students, and industry partners with state-of-the-art digital, fine art, and media-based technologies and facilities. These centres include:
The Basically Good Media Lab (BGML): Focuses on imagining new and old media technologies in new forms of performance, creative expression, social and political impact, and community building.
DESIS Lab: Devoted to research into how design can drive social change and sustainability.
Health Design Lab: Uses participatory design methods to catalyze, support and amplify initiatives that address complex health challenges.
Material Matters: Explore ways that new technology can enhance and mobilize enterprise, especially in the area of 3D printing, prototyping, and fabrication systems.
The Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship: Fosters the movement of artists and designers into systems and situations where their work and ideas can have the most impact.
Find out more about our cutting-edge research centres and clusters here.
As experts in their fields, our faculty and students are armed with the deep critical thinking skills, technical know-how, and expansive frameworks to innovatively tackle today's—and tomorrow's—most pressing challenges. ECU celebrates work-integrated learning, and we are always looking for new and exciting ways to offer our faculty and students hands-on research experiences in their specialized fields.
To suggest a research partnership with our faculty or students, please email us research@ecuad.ca.
For information on hiring our students, please see the Student Job Board criteria.