Business Engagement and Innovation
“We will be a university embedded in our community, increasing opportunities for our local residents and taking a leading role in the prosperity and success of the region.”
University of Exeter Strategy 2030
In Languages, Cultures and Visual Studies we work with both academic and non-academic partners to deliver impact, by translating our brilliant research and education into practical effect. Our non-academic partners span the arts, technology, heritage and tourism, language training, policy and the translation and publishing industries. In particular, we are developing strategic partnerships with organisations including: the National Trust, the Environment Agency, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Sharjah Art Foundation, The Box, English PEN (a worldwide writers’ organisation and the largest funder of translated literature in the UK), Centro de Investigaciones Populares, SITU Research, the Schwules Museum, Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Blast Theory, CartasVivas, and the Marrakech International Film Festival and Africa in Motion Film Festival. We have worked with Changing Faces, the Saving Faces Foundation, the National Gallery (London), Moroccan Chamber of Film Producers (MCFP) and the Historial de la Grande Guerre among others.
An example of how we engage in innovative partnerships with organisations, students, alumni, and local artists is the Lower Otter Restoration Project in Translation. Dr Natália Pinazza the project lead, partnered with the Environment Agency to exchange knowledge about creative responses to the pioneering climate adaptation project, the Lower Otter Restoration Project (LORP) in Budleigh Salterton, East Devon. The partnership with the Environment Agency foregrounded how local creative industries can communicate climate adaptation solutions and promote community engagement. Alongside the creation of a prototype app, the Climate Art Trails, the project’s short film, and other outputs include an exhibition at the Forum in November 2025, which garnered attention from the local media (Exeter’s Otter project inspires art exhibit on climate action | Devon Live).
As an example of our public-facing research ‘Public Renaissance’ led by Professor Fabrizio Nevola, examines how public spaces, from street-corners to major city squares, were shaped by the everyday activities of ordinary city-dwellers between 1450 and 1700. The project included the development of a smartphone app and website that enables users to explore various European cities on foot, as well as virtually at home, and learn about their history. The project is wide in scope, and involves researchers from universities in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. This led to the creation of five city apps, which feature historical-themed trails guided by contemporary characters (Hidden: Exeter, Hamburg, Deventer, Valencia and Trento). The suite of apps, which won at the Digital Humanities Awards 2022, are available free to download on both the AppStore and Google Play. We continue to build the HistoryCity offer, with new ‘Hidden’ apps for Copenhagen, Tours, Landshut and Venice published in 2023.
We make a great contribution to our region, but we aspire to do more, to benefit greater numbers and to be valued by our partners for the difference we make. Please get in touch if you are interested in developing research ideas and collaborations with us.