HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh visits Falmouth

Falmouth welcomed HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO to its Penryn Campus on Wednesday 17 May 2023 to celebrate 120 years of creative education at the institution.

The Duchess met students and academics who are working together across technology and creative disciplines to make a positive social impact.

As part of the visit, the Duchess spoke to those working on the Live Audience Accessibility & Augmentation research project, exploring how new haptic technology can make live music and events more accessible for people who are deaf or disabled.

Also showcased were examples of games and digital products that have been developed by students at the Games Academy. The UK video games industry is an economic and cultural success story; it supports 73,000 jobs throughout the supply chain and contributes £5bn to the economy. It is also providing new ways to transform health, education and traditional industries like tourism.

Professor Emma Hunt, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, said “It was an honour to show Her Royal Highness some of what we do here at Falmouth. As Cornwall’s University we’re very proud that 120 years after Falmouth School of Art was first founded, our students, academics and researchers are harnessing the power of creativity and technology, for good.

“I was delighted that I, and some of our future creative leaders and explorers, had the opportunity to talk to the Duchess about the impact we are having – in Cornwall, but also on a national and global scale – addressing some of the big social and economic challenges of our age through our teaching, research and knowledge exchange.”