The V&A Research Institute (VARI) leads the V&A’s research programmes and partnerships across the V&A family of sites. We aim to develop new approaches to the understanding of material and visual culture, to explore how our collections can be brought to bear on pressing contemporary challenges, and to inspire future generations through teaching and training. We collaborate with museum professionals, academic scholars, creative practitioners and members of the general public.
Introduction
The V&A was the first national museum to create a dedicated Research Department. In 2016, thanks to a major transformational grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, we became the V&A Research Institute, and in 2021 we took on leadership of the National Art Library and Archives, with a remit to transform access to the V&A’s rich research collections and archival resources. Working with V&A colleagues and many external partners, we undertake collaborative research that is rooted in the V&A’s collections and practices.
Through our research and teaching collaborations, we inform Museum projects, policies and practices across the V&A family of sites, as well as contributing to new understandings of the histories we can tell through collections and the challenges that they may help us face, now and in the future.
The V&A Research Institute is responsible for:
- collaborative research projects
- research-led undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
- conferences, workshops, seminars and other events
- fellowships, doctoral placements and other research affiliations
- platforms for print and digital communication
- national coordination of the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership consortium and Early Career Research Fellowships in Cultural and Heritage Institutions
The V&A Research Institute team is responsible for leading the V&A’s research activities, academic programmes and partnerships. We co-deliver the world’s leading postgraduate programme in the history of design and material culture, and host a thriving community of PhD students, early career and established researchers. We also coordinate the national Collaborative Doctoral Partnership consortium and a pilot programme of Early Career Research Fellowships in Cultural and Heritage Institutions, both supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. In addition to hosting researchers within the V&A Research Institute, we collaborate closely with colleagues across the V&A who are engaged in research, including curators, conservators, scientists, learning and digital specialists and many more.
We offer a range of opportunities to work with us. Fellowship and other opportunities will be advertised here when available, so check here to find out how to get involved. If you are interested in collaborating with us on a research project, please contact us at vari@vam.ac.uk