Hyundai Motor Group and the Royal College of Art today announced that Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation are renewing their partnership with the Royal College of Art in support of the Hyundai-Kia Innovation Laboratory at the Royal College of Art’s Intelligent Mobility Design Centre (IMDC).
Recognized as a global center of excellence in automotive and design education, IMDC is the home of Royal College of Art’s Intelligent Mobility MA program and leads research at the intersection of people, mobility and technology within a complex and changing urban and global environment.
In 2016, Hyundai Motor UK Ltd and Kia UK Ltd made a donation to establish the Hyundai-Kia Innovation Laboratory, the first industry-funded research lab at IMDC. Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands partnered with IMDC to foster the creative exploration of the future of mobility. In the laboratory, the team collaborates on research projects that conceive and explore new areas in mobility systems, vehicle design, digital technology integration and transport experiences.
Royal College of Art will host a signing ceremony for the partnership renewal at its Battersea campus, which will be attended by alumnus Peter Schreyer, Executive Design Advisor along with company representatives from Korea. Royal College of Art has a long-standing relationship with Schreyer, who earned a Master of Vehicle Design at the Royal College of Art in 1980. Schreyer received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Art in 2006 and serves on the Royal College of Art Alumni Council.
“The Royal College of Art is a place where art and design join together in dialogue, providing an environment for students of all different cultures and backgrounds to inspire each other and work together,” said Peter Schreyer, Executive Design Advisor to Hyundai Motor Group. “Never again in life, can students work as free-spirited and unburdened as here.”
“The Hyundai-Kia Innovation Laboratory epitomizes the kind of collaborative and industry-focused research that we champion here at the Royal College of Art,” said Dr. Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art. “We thank Hyundai Motor Group for their continued support and look forward to writing the next chapter in our partnership.”
