ATLAS Skilltech University, India

As part of Nottingham Trent University’s commitment to global engagement, a small team from NTU’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment recently visited ATLAS SkillTech University in Mumbai to share ideas and collaborate on creative approaches to design education. The visit was an opportunity to exchange knowledge and learn from their vibrant academic community.

Product Design’s Tom Hurford and Interior Architecture and Design’s Eddie Welham delivered a guest talk titled “Designers Make: The Value of Making in a Digital World,” which explored the importance of hands-on creativity in today’s design practice.

The guest talk was followed by a two-day design bootcamp, where they challenged participants to design a cafetière for a vibrant Mumbai coffee shop. The project encouraged students to engage in crowd research, ideation, prototyping, and testing, resulting in innovative and practical designs.

The visit also included a faculty development session, where NTU and ATLAS colleagues shared perspectives on teaching methodologies and creative practices. These conversations highlighted the value of collaboration and the shared goal of preparing students for global careers.

The initiative provided the first opportunity to bring staff from these Design disciplines together and offered colleagues an invaluable insight into each other’s professional contexts. It reflects the NTU–ATLAS partnership built on sharing ideas, learning collaboratively, and creating opportunities for students and staff to thrive in a global setting.