The Centre for Creative Technologies was established in 2023 to support and develop research and teaching that explores the intersections between creative practice and technology. Situated in the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies at the University of Galway, and now located within the Institute for Creativity, it draws on the College’s traditional strengths in the areas of creativity to develop the interdisciplinary approaches needed to tackle the key societal challenges we face today, from engaging communities in sustainability action to supporting viable creative industries and careers in the region. The Centre provides equipment, studio space, workshops, and technical support for a wide range of research, engagement, and teaching activities. Across the Centre, researchers from film, theatre, geography, computer science, and education share space with artists developing installations, performances, and community projects. Together, they explore the many visible and unnoticed ways that technology intersects with our creative and everyday lives.

From co-creating a virtual reality experience on the realities of homelessness with clients of Galway Simon Community to a Science Week project that invited Galway citizens to consider the role of AI in creating a sustainable city, community engagement is central to the Centre’s ongoing activities and events. A key mission of the Centre is to bring the best in international practice and innovation to Galway, whether that’s a dancer using motion capture to transform bodily movement into data or an artist working with robotics to create a cross-continent performance between humans and non-humans. Through our regular Masterclass Series, as well as longer workshops, world-leading practitioners bring their expertise to the University and beyond, with up to 60% of attendees to date coming from beyond the University walls. Having launched in September 2025, our Springboard+ supported Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Technologies and Emerging Media offers the opportunity for those working in the creative industries to upskill and bring their creative talents into new technological settings. A particular highlight over the past two years has been the augmented reality workshops run for children at the Galway Science and Technology Festival, which showcased the creativity and technical proficiency of the next generation.

The Centre has also strengthened Galway’s international creative links through artist residencies and exchanges. It is a founder member of the ARTx network with Virginia Tech, alongside University of California Santa Barbara and McGill University amongst others, which supports exchanges and collaborations focused on the intersection of art, research, and technology. Working with the artist Meaghan Dee of Virginia Tech and University of Galway academic Rióna Ní Fhrighil, the Centre is developing an immersive poetry project on the theme of migrancy and translation that will debut at Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) in Spring 2027. In 2025, the Centre also launched its first Digital Artist in Residence programme with the Arts Council, creating new opportunities for artists working with digital and immersive technologies. The work of inaugural Artist in Residence Jane Cassidy resonates strongly with the ethos and activities of the Centre, with a focus on co-creation and inclusive digital arts practice.

At the heart of the Centre’s research activities is its PhD programme, which currently supports seven PhD researchers exploring questions from the role of computer visualisation in urban planning to the power of our brain waves to compose music. Our PhD students have been the recipients of prestigious international awards and scholarships, working at the forefront of technology enabled creativity to bring a critical humanities perspective to technological progress and change. Through the PhDs’ annual Open Studio, as well as a Youth Academy module for Secondary School students on AI and creative practice, their research reaches beyond the academy to engage communities of all ages in the Galway region.

We were delighted in 2025 to receive recognition of the Centre’s work in building capacity within the research, creative, and cultural sectors in Galway, with nominations for a Galway Chamber Award and Regional Skills West Award, with a special emphasis on the role of the Centre in bringing industry and academia together in meaningful ways. This connection of industry and academia will be showcased at the Galway Film Fleadh in July, when the Centre will, for the second year, curate an Immersive Programme strand that brings the best of international virtual reality film and experiences to a Galway audience, alongside panels and workshops that invite attendees to reflect on the future of innovation in the audiovisual sector.

Through these and other projects, we aim to continue in our work to build bridges between disciplines, communities, and areas of practice within and beyond University of Galway in the years ahead. With strong links across industry, academia, and global networks such as ARTx collaboration, alongside a growing PhD community working at the forefront of technology enabled creativity, the Centre continues to position Galway as a leading site for interdisciplinary innovation

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