The Storytelling Academy at Loughborough University is part of the School of Design and Creative Arts, an interdisciplinary community of practitioners and scholars. Storytelling is at the heart of SDCA’s work, whether analysing users’ interaction with their designed environments, the narratives behind artistic objects, the experiences of patients or drivers, or the way story can be deployed to create connections across the globe.

Applied Storytelling has become a key research strength at Loughborough over the last ten years, and one where we have an international reputation for excellence. We have been involved in over 20 projects of various sizes, ranging from a few thousand pounds to over a million pounds in value, funded by organisations as diverse as AHRC, NERC, ESRC, MRC, EPSRC, British Academy and the European Commission.

The work is invariably interdisciplinary, involving collaborations with the health, social and environmental sciences and both academic and non-academic partners, from local community organisations to large NGOs.

We have worked throughout the UK, but also across Europe (with partners in Sweden, France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey and Norway), and across the world in, for example, Kenya, Uganda, India, Colombia, Canada and USA.

We are also home to the first ever UNESCO Chair in Storytelling Education for Sustainability – find out more HERE!