Research, projects and grants

About our research 

The growth in demand for talented designers and communicators in Vietnam means that now is an exciting time to embark on a career path in the creative and cultural industries. Our programs in the fields of communication, design, fashion and game design provide the most up-to-date and industry-relevant learning experience to help students prepare for the workforce, which will be vital for adapting to the new normal of 2022. The international learning environment at RMIT encourages cultural awareness, critical thinking, experimentation and, above all else, the ability to think differently. With their technical expertise and highly developed interpersonal skills, our graduates will continue to be in high demand. We provide many opportunities for our students to connect with industry partners through activities such as internships and class projects, making for a smooth transition into the workforce, while also supporting their local community.

Research at the School of Communication and Design utilises creative practice research to complement traditional research methods, a practice that is fairly new to Vietnam. Researchers explore diverse and impactful topics through the cities & urbanism, sustainability, and creativity heritage and society clusters.

Projects

The School of Communication & Design projects span the breadth of our areas of focus- across festivals, exhibitions, labs and centres.

List of projects

This project is ideally a non-traditional research output (NTRO) or a practice-based project. It will explore the lifeworld and livability of the mega-urban region of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It aims to create new knowledge and innovative creative practice that draws on a phenomenological approach and/or any sensory method including but not limited to visual, sonic, olfactory, tactile, culinary, affective, atmosphere, material, etc.

The theoretical perspective is open, depending on the applicant’s preference and track record, but we are keen to engage with emerging and innovative approaches from the environmental humanities that rethink the dominance of humans in urban built and natural environments.

You will join a growing team of dynamic researchers and designers in the School of Communication and Design at RMIT Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. The sensory project will produce an exhibition, a dissertation and presentation of practice, followed by examiners' questions. More information about this format is available at RMIT University Practice Research.

The National Strategy for the development of Vietnamese cultural industries with a vision to 2030 addresses 5 key themes:

  • Creative Education and Skills, Governance
  • Investment and Regulation
  • Audiences and Market Development
  • Clustering Networking
  • International Positioning

The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a series of opportunities to redefine the role and development of culture industries in Vietnam, particularly with a view towards sustainability and localisation.

This project seeks an enthusiastic practice-based researcher to propose a project using an innovative methodology that addresses how the National Strategy and pertinent stakeholders are responding to the reinvigorated attention to sustainability (as informed by UNESCO) and the local, social, and vernacular character through one (or more) of the above-mentioned themes.

Vietnam’s industry needs to explore more viable, and sustainable material solutions. This research project will primarily focus on an experimental approach to designing new material possibilities that will help us to overcome the environmental impacts and unethical practices of the current industry while combining the knowledge of traditional and future craftsmanship.

You will be passionate about designing for a circular and sustainable economy bringing together traditional knowledge, cross-cultural practices and innovative technologies to scope the scaling up of new material processes to commercialisation.

Possible approaches are to reimagine new material processes and propose alternative material solutions to meet the increased demand for sustainable materials. Defining the specific materials and technologies used will be developed throughout the project period in collaboration with the research team. The theoretical entry point and methodology will depend on the profile of the PhD candidate. Your aim is to develop new strategies for sustainable material futures. Alignment with the implementation and/or evaluation of the United Nations SDGs will be viewed favourably.

Whitepaper

vietnam digital music landscape 2024

Report "Vietnam Digital Music Landscape 2024"

What are the factors driving the digital music market's success? What are the advanced music business models based on disruptive technology? What are the next trends for development in this industry? The report "Vietnam Digital Music 2024: Transformation, Trends & Potentials" conducted by the research team of the School of Communication and Design at RMIT University Vietnam will provide the latest overview of the Vietnamese musicscape and forecast the industry's development trends in 2024.

Research clusters

Cities and Urbanism

Cluster Lead Catherine Earl

Sustainability

Cluster Lead Rajkishore Nayak

Creativity Heritage and Society

Cluster Lead Hai Ho

Call for PhD proposals

We are inviting proposals for three PhD projects, either a non-traditional research output (NTRO), a practice-based project or a traditional thesis format, within the School of Communication and Design in Vietnam. It is envisioned these will be aligned with at least one of our three research clusters. 

The School of Communication & Design is excited to offer three PhD scholarships. The scholarships are for full-time PhD study in Vietnam and are open only to Vietnamese nationals. The scholarship will offer a 100% fee waiver and generous stipend of 14,000.000 VND per month to support your living costs. To further supplement the stipend you will be eligible to work for 8 hours per week, as a teaching or research assistant within the School of Communication & Design (SCD) RMIT Vietnam. You will be based in Vietnam, so you can remain with your family and community while undertaking the PhD.

Last date to receive expressions of interest: 30th January 2024

For further information or support on how to make an application, please email: school.communication.design@rmit.edu.vn

Grants

The School of Communication and Design is offering Digital Design and Arts Grants for 2023-2024. Applications close 15 October 2023.