Agenda item

The Vice Principal and Director of Academic Affairs to be heard.

The Board were given a presentation on the Guildhall Innovation Division.

The Vice Principal and Director of Guildhall Innovation introduced the presentation by talking Governors through the origins of and thinking behind this work, the key drivers behind it, the aims of the work and some information as to how this was currently progressing. She added that, looking at the future and sustainability of the GSMD as an institution, the work would also explore and look to open up new income streams.

The School’s Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Manager provided the Board with some information on various case studies including Video Projection Mapping which involved using video technology to transform surfaces into living displays. The work had reached an audience of over 100,000 last year and provided the School with a direct income as well as work experience and future employment opportunities for its students. The Board were informed that income received from this work was expected to double next year and that the use of new technology, including the use of virtual reality, was currently being researched. The Deputy Chairman reported that the City’s Culture, heritage and Libraries Department had taken advantage of the School’s Video Projection Mapping technology which they had used for an event in Guildhall Yard, attended by over 14,000 people. She had also commended this to the Museum of London and the Museum of London in Docklands.

The School’s Head of Research presented a further case study on ‘Opera Nexus’.

The Chairman thanked the School for an extremely interesting and informative presentation detailing the kind of work being undertaken to demolish existing siloes and take performing arts from the periphery to the centre.

In response to a question regarding Intellectual Property, the Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Manager reported that this was owned by the School and that, in the case of Video Projection Mapping this was tied into the pathway. She recognised that this might, however, be less clear in other areas. The Head of Research reported that the School was looking to develop an IP Policy more generally under HEFCE Open Access Requirements.

In response to questions regarding the School’s relationship with the Barbican and how work in this area might improve on this, the Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Manager reported that she had been discussing the use of the Video Projection Mapping technology with the Barbican Business Events Team. She confirmed that the Barbican Senior Management Team had also participated in the School’s Coaching and Mentoring Programme and fed back very positively on this.

A Governor commended this as an admirable initiative but also stressed the need for some caution in stating that any initiative should have a strong business case behind it and not necessarily be driven by the need to make a surplus.