Opportunity

The Central Academy of Fine Arts International College (CAFAIC) is searching for UK partners to cooperate on establishing bachelor's and master's degree preparatory programmes in the fields of animation, visual effects, game art design, book illustration, and visual media creation.

The CAFAIC aims to admit 100 students annually, beginning in September, October 2023, or March, April 2024. As part of the admissions plan, 60 students will be admitted in the first year.

Form of cooperation

Regarding cooperation, CAFAIC welcomes discussions with UK partners who express interest and are receptive to considering their suggestions in accordance with principles of mutual respect and agreement. The following options are presented for consideration during the preliminary phase:

• A bachelor's degree programme that offers the option of 1+3 or 1+4, wherein students undertake preparatory courses at CAFAIC during their first year, followed by the remaining years of study in the UK.

• A master's degree programme that offers the option of 1+1 or 1+2, wherein students complete preparatory courses at CAFAIC during their initial year before pursuing the remaining portion of their studies in the UK.

Benefits for the UK partners

UK universities are presented with the following opportunities:

• Forge a long-term partnership with CAFAIC that could potentially encompass teacher training, short-term exchanges, collaborative research, and discipline development in specific fields. Additionally, the establishment of a joint institute (without legal person status) could be explored as a potential avenue for future collaboration.

• Enhance institutional visibility and brand recognition in China, thereby potentially enhancing student recruitment efforts.

• Explore opportunities for cooperation with local companies operating within the film, animation, and game industries.

Division of responsibility for the collaborating parties

The selected UK partners are anticipated to collaborate with the CAFAIC in the following capacities:

• Engage in joint efforts with CAFAIC to develop the curricula for the programmes.

• Appoint dedicated staff members to participate in the academic supervisory committee actively, thus ensuring the quality of the programmes.

• Grant bachelor's/master's degrees to students upon successfully completing their studies.

The CAFAIC will assume the following responsibilities:

• Conduct student recruitment and actively engage in joint promotion and publicity of the programme.

• Provide qualified teaching personnel. Associate professors or professors from CAFAIC will teach the courses. Furthermore, CAFAIC will invite teachers from partner institutions overseas to deliver lectures to students, ensuring a diverse educational experience (with a minimum participation of 15 teachers and teaching staff per programme).

• Provide the required teaching sites and equipment, including painting classrooms, multimedia classrooms, computer classrooms, round table classrooms, a motion capture studio, an XR virtual studio, AI innovative design laboratories, and sports facilities. Additionally, student accommodation will be provided.

• Establish an academic supervision committee to uphold the quality standards of the joint programme.

• Issue course qualification certificates: Upon successfully completing the courses provided by CAFAIC, students will receive a Certificate of Advanced Training, valid for one year. The students' final grades will be recorded in their transcripts.

About CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts)

CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts) is the only higher art institution directly under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. With its strong reputation and exceptional standards in higher art education, the CAFA holds a prominent position among globally recognised art academies, serving as a beacon of excellence within the field.

CAFAIC (Central Academy of Fine Arts and International College) is an esteemed international academy established to commemorate CAFA's centenary. Within CAFAIC, the Digital Art Research Centre (DARC) spearheads talent cultivation and ground-breaking research in art disciplines rooted in digital technology. Furthermore, DARC is entrusted with the key responsibility of advancing art and design education and fostering its evolution within the digital era.

DARC, operating under the auspices of CAFAIC, will lead the discussions regarding cooperation. Subsequently, a formal cooperation agreement will be signed with CAFAIC. For further details about CAFAIC, please visit www.cafaic.com.

Timeline

It is anticipated that the initial cohort of students admitted will commence their Bachelor's/Master's preparatory course at CAFAIC in September/October 2023 or March/April 2024. CAFAIC is eager to establish connections and collaborate with interested colleges and universities at the earliest opportunity.

For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org.

Expression of interest

UK universities interested in this opportunity should register your interest, through the online survey: https://forms.office.com/e/tbqctnhH6V, by 31 July 2023. If you have any enquiry, please feel free to contact ies.china@britishcouncil.org.cn