Partnerships

National Trust

Our partnership with the National Trust is well established and long standing. Our collaborations include academic co-ventures; creative media production; funding co-applications for asset management and preservation; execution of fundraising concerts and festivals; community projects to rebuild Devon’s heritage infrastructure; and hosting National Trust events and discussions.

Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM)

Our links with the RAMM go back to the early twentieth century, and demonstrate our joint success in achieving sustainable impact. Our co-ventures comprise exhibitions and research, including digital collections projects in collaboration with our Digital Humanities facilities and the development of an interactive web app; funding-bid support; the use of artefacts to unlock the secrets of Exeter’s past and the origins of RAMM; REACT project, ‘Great Places’, designed to enhance the presence of arts and heritage in Exeter; collaborative PhD students.

Exeter Cathedral

Beyond our ecclesiastical and musical associations, our academics have collaborated with Exeter Cathedral on a variety of projects designed to uncover histories, preserve artefacts and encourage local projects, including ‘On Common Ground’, involving a series of University-hosted talks on science and faith, and the exploration and analysis of The Exeter Book, recognised by UNESCO as one of the ‘world’s principal cultural artefacts’.

Cornwall Museum Partnership

Our partnership with the Cornwall Museum Partnership – a charity that exists to help museums in Cornwall thrive – has been strengthened through the signing of a Collaborative Working Agreement, which establishes a framework for cooperation and a strategic relationship committed to promoting and furthering research, education, skills and employability and economic development in the county.

Powderham Castle

Our partnership with Powderham Castle – the seat of the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon – began when researchers from the University’s History department, in collaboration with our Digital Humanities team, used the latest digital technology to recreate the Courtenay medieval family tree, revealing the fascinating life stories of their ancestors and their role in shaping national and local history. The relationship has been strengthened through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes a framework for developing initiatives around student employability in the heritage sector, pursuing collaborative funding applications, facilitating research knowledge transfer, and developing sustainable opportunities for academic and professional engagement through teaching and research placements, PGR opportunities and CPD.

South West Fed

The South West Fed is an independent membership organisation providing a voice for museums, art galleries and the wider heritage sector in the South West of England. Its uniqueness lies in being the network through which the wider heritage sector can think and act together to deliver a better experience for all its audiences. Our partnership with the SWFed has evolved over the years, with a number of supportive and enthusiastic academics, across a number of colleges, on both Streatham and Penryn campuses, covering areas from business development, conference showcasing, marketing, placements and research promotion. This relationship has now been formalised with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to seek out mutually beneficial development opportunities that enhance the regional standing of both parties, including employability training for students and researchers, supporting courses across the University via marketing, placements, research projects, guest talks and visits promotion.

Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata

Our partnership with The Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata – one of India's largest and oldest museum libraries, dedicated to art history – began with the University’s facilitation of a research and collections collaboration between VMH and long-term partner RAMM. That relationship led to fruitful international visits by all parties, public talks, and joint research project on the John Fleming collection of drawings of Indian flora and fauna held at VMH. The relationship has been strengthened by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, which formalises mutual intentions to continue building networks to facilitate further cooperation, as well as maximising wider collaboration and interaction with a broader network of Higher Education, non-Higher Education Institutions, heritage and environmental organisations in India and the UK.

The Charles Causley Trust 

Our partnership with The Charles Causley Trust — an organisation that maintains and raises the profile and appreciation of the work of Cornish-born writer, Charles Causley — has been cemented by a Memorandum of Understanding, following previous collaborative work. The university's heritage collections hold a selection of Causley’s work, including manuscripts, notebooks and letters, photographs and diaries. 

Wells Cathedral 

Wells Cathedral and the University of Exeter have committed to establish a closer working relationship under a Memorandum of Understanding. In collaboration with the university, England’s first Gothic Cathedral will co-develop research and impact initiatives, explore opportunities for the use of digital technologies in literary archive conservation, and create opportunities for student work placements and volunteering.