The award, considered one of the most prestigious of its kind, is in recognition of the “innovative work in building an impressive complex of resources that embrace teaching, research, the preservation of knowledge and its dissemination nationally and internationally”.
The Award for Innovation in Design Education was inaugurated in 1998 to recognise those who, by contributing to the theory and or practice of design education in the UK and who, through innovation and vision, have ensured the education of designers has been measurably improved and the profile of design education enhanced.
The Sir Misha Black Awards Committee said: “Their pioneering use of digital technologies since the 1990s and the ensuing debate has brought about a wider understanding of the material legacy of the past and it's worth for the future."
Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, representative of the College of Medallists on the Awards Committee, cultural historian, author and broadcaster, said: “The University of Brighton has been at the forefront of the study and teaching of Design History ever since the subject first came to prominence in the 1970s. More recently the university’s archive, with its rich holdings of primary materials about British design, has become THE key resource in this area for scholars, writers and interested members of the public - well looked-after, well catalogued and welcoming. This award is well deserved.”
The award will be presented on 22 November at the Royal College of Art in London.
