FASTLab was created to explore the potential of human emotion, happiness and play, open doors for non-traditional collaborators, and commercialise lateral thinking. We have created multiple pathways for organisations, researchers and creatives to engage with us and each other.

Rapid is a fast-moving initiative to encourage cross-disciplinary research, innovation and industry engagement

RAPID is series of research ‘sprints’ conducted over a 3-6 month period.

Each RAPID sprint is a research project carried out between FASTLab researchers and an external partner (a community, business or NGO). RAPID provides financial, human and technological resources to enable partners to work together on user-driven real-world problems.

Transmission develops our Research Higher Degree candidates as the future leaders in their field. As a key part of FASTLab, Transmission provides mentoring through our academic staff who are increasingly working with industry partners.

Transmission continues to support practice based and practice led research which has been traditionally proposed by individual candidates. However research projects developed in collaboration with and funded by industry, business and community is also undertaken. Our research students develop a strong set of skills, enabling them to conduct agile, people centred research and development applied creatively with real world relevance and impact.

In this way, Transmission offers organisations a new avenue for improving their competitive position and renewing their business. Supporting research in this way is highly cost effective and attractive to our industry partners. Transmission builds bridges between academia, industry and community providing organisations with access to the latest research knowledge and the opportunity to address research questions that are the key to developing their organisations.

Accelerator is FASTLab’s gas-pedal for artists and entrepreneurs graduating from any School of Creative Industries program.

It enables emerging creative industry professionals to make money doing what they love, launching them to reach their full creative potential by providing access to:

• Paid projects commissioned by major creative companies
• Workshops covering, sales and marketing, brand strategy and digital media.
• Coaching from creative sector experts in areas such as Animation, Design, Film and TV, Music etc.
• Introductions to our industry networks and investment partners.
• Great publicity and PR opportunities.
• Opportunities to present at Festival X
• Hot-desking space
• Access to FASTLab tools and facilities

Creative small businesses founded by SOCI alumni will receive business mentoring, commercial training and advice, plus access to hot-desking facilities in University House and the Honeysuckle 1A.

“When you start to do the things that you truly love, it wouldn’t matter whether it is Monday or Friday; you would be so excited to wake up each morning to work on your passions.“

– Edmond Mbiaka

The creative industries combined are bigger than coal, banking and even the trade in coffee in Australia. This is a chance to join a $111.7 billion workplace that might really need the creative person you can become while studying with us. While this is a giant leap for your career, we start with small manageable steps through our Work Experience team in Studio ZED - this is our Work Integrated Learning studio which is supported by FASTLab in the School of creative industries at the University of Newcastle.

Studio ZED matches students to work Integrated Learning in industries by working on live-briefs for both course-work credits and where possible pay.

These opportunities range from University departments and services to NGO’s, creative agencies, companies and charities. This gives students a fabulous learning experience. It enables companies to work with inventive energetic students who may end up as their employees.

If you are a Creative student wishing to build your portfolio or improve your skills working on live briefs for real world clients - then Studio ZED will help you to establish professional relationships with other creatives and industries.