Bath Spa University helps to launch National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) as regional hub partner

@BathSpaUni helps to launch National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) @InfoTCCE as regional hub partner

The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE) has established a new National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange (NCACE) and Bath Spa University is proud to announce its involvement as one of four regional hubs for the initiative.

Through its work in the South West, Bath Spa University aims to facilitate and support more and better capacity for knowledge exchange between higher education and the arts and cultural sector.

Manchester Metropolitan University, Northumbria University and Birmingham City University will join Bath Spa University as additional regional hubs.

Professor John Strachan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise at Bath Spa University said: “Bath Spa University is proud to be a partner of the new National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange. The South West regional hub will be led by Professor Bambo Soyinka, Director of the University’s Research Centre for Transcultural Creativity and Education (TRACE), building on our strengths in engaged research and cultural exchange.”

The National Centre, which has been funded by Research England, will focus in particular on evidencing and showcasing the social, cultural, environmental, as well as the economic impacts of Knowledge Exchange (KE), after evidence emerged from previous projects co-designed with or led by TCCE highlighted the importance of such exchanges across sectors.

NCACE will develop a raft of activities over a four-year period, in collaboration with hub partners across the country, and will work in several key areas including; collaborations and networks developments, skills and capacity building, evidencing and impact development, as well as showcasing and communicating key findings to a national audience.

David Sweeney, Executive Chair of Research England said: “I am excited to be investing in this new centre that hopes to bring a step change in the ability of universities to support KE with the arts and cultural sector in this difficult time.

“This is an important opportunity to better understand, demonstrate and further support and nurture the exceptional collaborative work that is being done across the country, and for Research England and universities to support the wider resilience of the sector into the future.”

NCACE will be led by TCCE Co-Directors, Evelyn Wilson and Suzie Leighton, who said: “NCACE is a key and very timely opportunity to advance knowledge exchange with the arts and cultural sectors, building on TCCE’s track record of innovation and thought leadership in this exciting and quickly evolving field. The exchange and creation of new knowledge to help meet key challenges of our time has never been more important. 

“We look forward to working with our partners to showcase existing excellence, support future skills development in Knowledge Exchange, increase capacity for collaborative research, and provide robust and relevant evidence to help underpin the future development of the sector.”