Royal College of Music awarded Special Commendation by Research England
Tuesday 11 December 2018
The Royal College of Music has been awarded a Special Commendation by Research England for its three-year Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) strategy.
The GCRF is a £1.5 billion fund announced by the UK Government in late 2015 to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries. The RCM is one of 10 institutions commended, and the only music conservatoire to be recognised.
Research England’s Special Commendation recognised the use of best practice, expert leadership and commitment to addressing the issues faced by developing countries in the RCM’s GCRF strategy. In particular, the RCM’s demonstration that small allocations of funds can be used effectively by specialist institutions was praised, as well as its focus on the enhancement of existing collaborations with developing countries.
Researchers at the RCM are currently involved in a wide range of projects. Professor Ashley Solomon is collaborating with Bolivian researchers, musicians and teachers to explore the Bolivian Baroque music heritage. Dr Tania Lisboa has been working on a project with the Federal University of Bahia and the State Centres for the Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Bahia in Brazil for three years. A new project led by Professor Gabriele Rossi Rognoni will see the RCM partner with the Chinese Association of Music Museums to catalogue museums’ collections on international databases. Based on the RCM’s highly successful MINIM project, the museums will make their priceless but often isolated collections available online for all.
The RCM’s Director of Research, Professor Richard Wistreich, commented: ‘This recognition by Research England is a tremendous endorsement of our commitment to being a truly international institution. We are focussed on sharing our collective expertise with colleagues and beneficiaries beyond our own walls and using every opportunity to learn from them. Although we are a small institution we undertake a huge range of world-class research and recognise our responsibility to exchange knowledge across international borders.’
More information is available on the Research England website. Find out more about the RCM’s GCRF strategy and Research department.
