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The UK has 74 "Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning," special university programs that receive government funding; only five of the 74 Centres are design related.

Until next month, that is; the 30-year-old Industrial Design program at Coventry University's School of Art and Design is getting its own hi-tech Product Design Centre. With 9.5 million pounds in government financing, the new digs will feature revamped studios, Alias and Bunkspeed suites, videoconferencing facilities and a motion capture studio dedicated to ergonomic study.

With relationships with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Art Center in Pasadena, Ford, Ferrari, and Land Rover, the school is well-poised to become an international player in the design school circuit.

Government funding for the program runs out in five years, but Karen Bull, director of the centre and senior lecturer in industrial design theory, is confident the school will be self-sustainable. "By the time the programme finishes, we aim to hold events and symposiums for both higher education and the design industry," says Bull.

via designweek uk