We need this Create, Challenge, Care strategy to guide us for the next five years because…
The world needs creative practice, purpose and skills now more than ever.
Students’ lived realities have shifted significantly, so we must act now to deliver the innovative, bold and relevant education they need.
Building the College and campus that is needed for the future means taking on complex challenges now.
Being a leading art and design institution now isn’t enough:
we must work with partners in and beyond art and design
to achieve meaningful social progress.
Foreword
Siobhán Moriarty,
Chairperson of An Bord
NCAD’s history, context and position within art and design education in Ireland is unique. NCAD continues to offer the largest range of art and design degrees in the State at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and it is a source of immense pride that our alumni have had, and continue to have, great impact across society in Ireland and globally.
An Bórd is acutely aware of the importance of NCAD’s position, and our need to govern within a changing social, economic, climate and political context. NCAD’s commitment to visible and coherent governance, fiscal strength and agility, and proactive management requires effective, future-facing resources. This new Strategic Plan is more than a statement of ambition and focus for our next steps over the coming five years; it is a commitment to the students, staff, and the many communities to which the College is connected. An Bórd is most grateful to the Higher Education Authority, to Minister Lawless and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and to stakeholders and funders, for their ongoing support of NCAD.
An Bórd is determined to ensure a robust and meaningful future for this very special institution. We fully support everyone at NCAD in bringing this Strategic Plan to life, and we look forward to working together to realise our shared mission to Create, Challenge, Care.
Directors Statement
Professor Sarah Glennie,
Director
Create, Challenge, Care sets out the mission, values, goals and – importantly – the actions that will shape an exciting and challenging new phase for NCAD as we strengthen the institutional transformation collectively achieved under the last strategy.
The consultation process was deep and expansive. We reminded ourselves that an outcome of the student protests of the 1970s was that NCAD consciously resolved to be more relevant and responsive to changes in Irish society. We continue to hold ourselves accountable to that challenge as we shape NCAD’s contribution to pressing issues facing society such as changing demographics, the need for positive climate solutions and climate justice, shifting economic realities, and disruptive and opportunistic technologies. That is why this Strategic Plan is so grounded in our recognition of the long-term driving forces operating in society as well as our potential as a college of art and design to respond to contemporary complex challenges with confidence, ambition, agility and impact.
We are extremely grateful to the dynamic NCAD community of staff, students, An Bórd and partners, stakeholders and funders, all of whom contributed to Create, Challenge, Care with great energy and insight. We are especially grateful to the inspired students Oisín Allen, Cian Giles, Ella McNulty and Aisling Strzoda, and their faculty leaders Claire Campion and Aoife Mc Inerney, who translated our strategy into design, and to our alumni at POST studio who created the supporting website.
We are launching this strategy during uncertain and turbulent times. Agility and adaptability will be needed to make sure that we work together to achieve our strategic goals. As part of the implementation of Create, Challenge, Care, we will keep the NCAD community and our stakeholders fully informed about our progress over the next five years.
We are excited to see what we will achieve together.
Vision, Purpose and Values
Our Vision:
To change the world through bold and curious thinking, making and doing.
Our Purpose:
NCAD exists to foster, generate and inspire imaginative, ambitious and positive change through art and design for people, communities and society.
College and Community:
Our Values We live our values every day – in class, on campus, in our community and through co-creative and connected practice in Ireland and globally.
Bold & Curious:
We are not afraid to challenge perspectives and boundaries, and develop new forms of creative practice. When we take risks, we do so with confidence and agility.Brave & Care:
We are ethical and clear-sighted in our decisions, and understand the meaning and extent of our responsibility to each other, our communities and the planet.Connect & Be Connected:
We are inclusive, value connections across the College, and create meaningful ways for our teaching, learning and research to be fully connected to and with the world.
Areas of Strategic Focus 2026–2031
Goal 1 – Empower
Empower our students and researchers to create, challenge and care
The heart of Goal 1 is the delivery of learning, teaching and research which inspires values-led change for people, communities and society. The world needs creative practice, purpose and skills more than ever.
Develop relevant, sustainable and inclusive research supports, enabling academic staff and researchers at all career stages to undertake impactful research in ways that align with the values of NCAD and inform the future development of learning and teaching.
Support staff and students to undertake research which is deeply grounded in ethical practice, integrity and care.
Reach outwards, connecting our research nationally and globally through innovative, strategic partnerships that offer new opportunities for, and uses of, art and design research.
Communicate clearly NCAD’s research practices and achievements internally and externally.
Review all programmes through an institutional and values-led framework to ensure our core values and purpose are embedded within each student’s learning journey.
Resource and support staff from across the College to actively contribute to the development and expansion of learning and teaching through this framework.
Connect students, staff and alumni using our national and global art and design networks, thus expanding the reach and impact of our learning, research and creative practices.
An NCAD education creates independent thinkers who can contribute to finding solutions to future social and economic challenges. By ensuring that our teaching and learning meets the highest standards of creative practice and intellectual inquiry, our students and researchers will be empowered to be boldly curious and clear-sighted in their learning, making, and their approach to social purpose. Developing structures for shared thinking and innovation across the NCAD community will help us achieve this for current and future learners.
This Goal is founded in a period of pedagogical experimentation and testing through such initiatives as Creative Futures Academy (CFA) and Studio Plus; the delivery of Futures Bold and Curious Strategic Projects across teaching and learning; and the establishment of global and research frameworks.
Goal 2 – Adapt & Flex
Adapt and flex for current and future learners
The heart of Goal 2 is the need to make brave and clear-sighted decisions that reflect the diverse needs of the students we are educating today, and to equip ourselves to meet the needs of future learners. Students are facing new challenges and shifting realities, and we must proactively manage how NCAD responds.
Develop targeted initiatives and pathways to broaden our learner base and meet their needs as learners at NCAD.
Support staff to understand and respond effectively to diversity among the student and learning communities.
Learn from the learners: ask questions of students and ensure their responses contribute towards informed decision-making.
Examine how to diversify the NCAD staff community to better reflect contemporary Irish society.
NCAD’s distinct approach to learning focuses on doing, experimenting and taking creative risks. We must make brave and clear-sighted decisions that reflect the needs of the students we are educating today and equip ourselves to meet the needs of future learners. Doing so requires a One NCAD understanding of the needs of a more diverse student body and actions across all areas of College activities.
This Goal is founded on the work done to overcome creative arts sectoral barriers. It includes access initiatives such as the Creative Arts Summer School; the Clancy Quay Studio Project, which builds a bridge for access students into the world of professional practice; and the expansion of pathways for potential future students. It also includes targeted and deeper engagement with students through surveys, forums, anti-racism scoping, costs of Art &Design study at NCAD; and the widening flexible and life-long learning opportunities, such as Creative Futures Academy and Continuing Education in Art & Design.
Goal 3 – Be Robust
Be a robust, well-resourced College
The heart of Goal 3 is our understanding that building the College and campus that is needed for the future means being unafraid of complexity and challenges now. We value our position as a publicly funded institution and we are committed to being a responsible, effective and agile organisation.
Invest in structures to enable staff to connect across areas and expertise, and work towards agile, innovative and efficient processes for collaboration and exchange. Staff are our greatest resource, and we are more robust and resilient when we work together.
Use lean and efficient management processes across the College to deliver values-led strategic projects at scale that meet our purposes.
Work with multiple stakeholders, including state agencies, to take NCAD towards the campus it needs to be. The campus development is a long-term project which extends beyond the life of this Strategic Plan.
Ensure that campus development is informed by our values, stated strategic goals and objectives, in line with our vision for future learning, teaching and research.
Support staff, students and the wider campus community to thrive during a period of significant change that the complex capital programme will bring.
Establish the robust and effective governance and management necessary for this period of significant change.
We are committed to creating better environments for students, staff and our expanded NCAD community. We need to adapt and flex in response to changing social and economic circumstances, and recognise that while change is necessary and important, it cannot be merely reactive.
This Goal is founded on the delivery of these Futures Bold and Curious Strategic Projects: An Effective Organisation; Working Together Better; ICT Strategy; and Make Visible, the Campus Development Framework.
Goal 4 – Be a Voice
Be an active, progressive voice for art and design
The The heart of Goal 4 is NCAD’s determination to be a brave, confident and meaningful advocate for the art and design sector nationally and internationally. We want to work with partners in and beyond art and design to achieve meaningful social progress.
Build national and international partnerships which enable student and alumni creative practices, work, learning and research to be connected for impact, locally and globally.
Develop a vibrant network of alumni, and better understand and communicate the value of their work in the world.
Own our position as a leader in art and design education, seek out opportunities to contribute to the discourse nationally and globally, and be a positive and insightful advocate for the sector.
Contribute to an evidence-based understanding of the value of creative practice to positive social and economic progress.
Use our informed, expert and innovative art and design voice to bring strength and value to partnerships and networks within and beyond our sectors and disciplines.
For generations, NCAD has played a leading role in Ireland’s artistic and creative life. Over recent years, we made a concentrated effort to lead in progressive thinking about the ways in which art and design practitioners and educators are developed. This unique and important role is deeply connected to, and with, Ireland’s wider creative and cultural sectors.
This Goal is founded on strong sectoral partnerships delivering impact such as Creative Futures Academy (CFA) and Co-Create, which is one of four Shared Island projects to be funded as part of the North-South Research Programme; deepening partnerships across society; and the national and international policy landscape.
Achieving our Goals in 2026–2031
A separate Implementation Plan details actions and targets for all four Goals. This will be updated regularly and communicated to staff, students and stakeholders.
Learning from Futures Bold and Curious.
Rigorous implementation planning processes and systems.
Cross college project teams with clear goals and phased timelines.
Planning agility and informed decision making.
Delivering the creative practice, purpose and skills needed in society.
An institution where students experience an innovative, bold and relevant education which equips them for the realities of contemporary life.
In a new and future-ready stage of College and campus development.
A key institution within the art and design sector in Ireland, working with partners in and beyond the sector to drive meaningful social progress.
Commence Phase 1 of our strategic campus development. (Goal 3)
This will improve and strengthen our campus and facilities for teaching and learning.
Launch CO-CREATE Ireland, a €4 million North South Research Project (NSPR) partnership funding.
(Goal 1 and 4)
In partnership with Belfast School of Art at Ulster University, CO-CREATE Ireland, we will launch an island-wide network for new thinking and innovative making in art and design across the Island of Ireland.
Commence major institutional projects funded by the HEA Targeted Enhancement Fund. (All Goals)
TEF funding from the Higher Education Authority supports the realisation of Create, Challenge, Care.
Launch NCAD’s inaugural Alumni Connectivity programme. (Goals 1 & 4)
This ambitious programme includes our first Alumni Impact Awards to celebrate and honour our talented alumni and showcase their international reach.
Alumni Connectivity events launch in Dublin, Milan and New York.
Expand NCAD Design Labs
(CIVIC and HEALTH labs). (Goals 1 & 4)
These active partnerships with national agencies and Government Departments
will further our impactful work around
civic engagement and healthcare.
Worked in partnership with IADT
and UCD, to strengthen the Creative Futures Academy (CFA) through innovative partnerships, programmes, courses, and events, and worked in collaboration with our key partners
to deliver a strategy to guide the CFA into its next phases. (Goals 1 & 4)
Renew partnership with UCD. (Goal 4)
We established this strategic alliance in 2010 to foster collaboration in research, teaching, and innovation, and are proud
of its many successes.
Launch new postgraduate programmes. (Goals 1 & 2) A new suite of programmes in the Schools of Design and Fine Art enhances and expands our postgraduate option.
Expand NCAD research office and research community. (Goals 1 & 4)
Designed by NCAD students
Some briefs arrive with real opportunity, and this was one of those. Students Aisling Strzoda, Cian Giles, Ella Mc Nulty and Oisín Allen were tasked with designing this strategy document. All four are part of the Bureau+ a research-driven, student-managed studio within the Studio+ programme. Studio+ is a campus-based environment where students take on real commercialand cultural projects.
The brief was to design a foundational document, outlining the institution’s purpose, mission, values, goals and objectives, for an audience of staff, students, stakeholders and a wider national and international public. The document needed to be accessible, legible and engaging, while communicating the importance of art and design in current and future social and political climates and speaking clearly to NCAD’s unique position as an independent art and design college. The scope included format exploration, printing methods, colour, imagery and graphics. Designs also needed to translate to a digital format, with assets handed over to an external team forweb implementation.
Aisling, Cian, Ella and Oisín worked directly with senior management presenting concepts and refining based on feedback from multiple stakeholders throughout. They worked collaboratively, via Miro, group critiques, with regular tutor feedback. Four contributors shaping one cohesive outcome. Whilst also engaging in a full programme of additional modules. Early directions were tested and reworked. The team were deeply involved in research, concept development and iteration, layout tests, mock-ups and printed experiments throughout. Decisions were made by testing rather than committing too early. What emerged balanced boldness with clarity, expressive, but never at the expense of the message.
The result is this strategy publication, alongside a full asset handover to the digital team for web implementation.
Website by Post Studio
