LITE wins funding to boost links with students and cultural industries

LITE HAS scored a successful funding bid for a significant amount to strengthen links between postgraduate taught students and the region's buoyant cultural industries.

The ‘Mending a Broken Bridge’ project, led by Dr Rafe Hallett, Director of the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence (LITE), has attracted £30,000 worth funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

Strengthening links

The project will help bridge the PGT student community and a number of high-profile industry partners, such as the Hepworth Gallery, The Tetley, and Opera North.

As part of its mission, it will identify regional skills and provide research and mentoring opportunities, offering PGT students channels for sharing the results of their research.

External partners, together with academic leads, will shape the design of a new cross-faculty PGT module focused on research impact and public engagement.

The Cultural Institute will also help to develop the project, tying it to the Leeds 2023 City of Culture campaign where possible.

Recognised leader

The successful bid is part of a raft of HEFCE Catalyst grant funding awards worth approximately £1m achieved by the University of Leeds to drive student education projects.

Dr Rafe Hallett says: “Our success in securing this level of funding shows that Leeds is recognised as a leader in developing innovative and inclusive education.

"Each of the projects demonstrates our commitment to giving our students an unprecedented array of opportunities."