The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre was set up at the Royal College of Art in January 1999 to alert designers and industry to the far-reaching implications of a rapidly changing society.
A society in which there are growing numbers of older and disabled people, radical shifts in working patterns, and mounting pressure on mobility and other public services.
Endowed by the Helen Hamlyn Foundation, the Centre runs programmes with three design communities - RCA students, new graduates and professionals in business and industry - to examine the design implications of social change and promote a more socially inclusive approach to designing.
These programmes deliver on the Royal College of Art's commitment to explore 'social developments', enshrined in its Royal Charter.
A range of external commercial, academic, government and charitable partners are engaged in our work, which is centred on design in relation to four social-change themes: age, work, mobility and care.
The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre
The Royal College of Art
London SW7 2EU
Phone: +44 (0) 207 590 4242
Fax: +44 (0) 207 590 4244
hhrc@rca.ac.uk