- University collaboration will offer students and staff access to Autodesk’s full suite of industry-grade software
- Aston University is the first to collaborate with Autodesk, Adobe and Design Factory Birmingham to create an integrated design and innovation network for students
- Partnership will enhance graduate employability and practical industry experience.
Aston University has signed an agreement to provide students and staff access to Autodesk’s world-leading ‘Design and Make’ software to help them bring their design ideas to life.
Autodesk’s software will form part of the new engineering and physical sciences curriculum framework at Aston University, which will be available to students starting September 2025. This custom curriculum will embed the industry-grade software into teaching and learning, preparing students for careers such as architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, media and entertainment.
This initiative complements the University’s unique partnerships with Design Factory Birmingham (DFB) and Adobe Creative Campus, enabling students to learn about design innovation with industry in DFB, realise creative outputs with Adobe and then and transform those ideas into tangible realities using Autodesk.
Aston University is the first in the UK to establish this trio of partnerships to offer students a fully integrated design and innovation ecosystem. These three initiatives will help to ensure that the University’s graduates are among the best-prepared for the modern workplace, helping to close the ever-growing skills gap in the UK’s critical industries. According to Autodesk’s 2025 Design & Make report, 57% of business leaders cite limited access to skilled talent as a key barrier to business growth, underscoring the importance of forward-thinking approaches like Aston University’s in developing a generation of digitally fluent professionals.
Autodesk will support the creation of and launch of a student ambassador programme, whereby eight student ambassadors will act as liaisons and advocates for the software on campus. The ambassadors will help their peers to maximise the benefits of the software, which will be used in the curriculum of the entire College of Engineering and Physical Sciences serving approximately 5,000 students. For the first time, students studying other subjects such as business, health and life will be given full access to the technology.
Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University, said: “Our collaboration with Autodesk illustrates how Aston University provides an industry-embedded education by giving our students the experience of a 21st century work environment.
“The world is transforming at an unprecedented pace and initiatives such as this allow us to equip our students with critical professional and digital competencies.”
Mary Hope McQuiston, Vice President of Autodesk Education Experiences, comments: “Aston University shares our belief that today’s students are tomorrow’s innovators, and they need access to the right tools and real-world experiences to thrive in their future jobs. This partnership will provide every Aston student, regardless of discipline, the hands-on experience with the same technology used by professionals around the world. Together, we’re helping shape a digitally fluent, globally connected workforce — and with Aston, we're ensuring that students graduate with the skills they need to hit the ground running in jobs that are evolving as quickly as technology itself.”
Head of the Department of Design, Technology and Innovation, Dr Timothy Whitehead, said: “Autodesk will give all students and staff the power to make just about anything. The design tools are used in wide range of sectors from architecture, interior design, mechanical engineering, manufacturing and civil engineering and for the first time a student from any discipline at Aston University can have access and training in these tools.
“We’ll be able to run 3D modelling and visualisation in teaching labs and will ensure that every student has the opportunity to develop robust digital fluency skills, ensuring our graduates are among the best prepared for the modern workplace. This illustrates how our 2030 strategy has established Aston University into an institution that is inclusive, entrepreneurial and transformational.”
This agreement with Aston University is an extension of Autodesk's commitment to provide its industry-grade software for free to students and educators around the world. Serving industries such as architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment, Autodesk supports more than 100 million students and educators at 160,000 schools with access to this technology today.
The Adobe Creative Campus program recognises universities worldwide that empower students in all disciplines to learn the creative, productivity, and AI skills employers need. Design Factory Birmingham at Aston University is a cutting-edge facility that fosters innovation and design, bringing together students, staff, industry partners, and entrepreneurs to collaborate and develop solutions for real-world challenges.
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Autodesk State of Design & Make Report 2025
https://www.autodesk.com/design-make/research/state-of-design-and-make-2025
A convergence of technologies and methodologies in industries that produce digital and built assets over the past 40-plus years has resulted in a distinct category of work: Design and Make. Design and Make shapes the surrounding world, translating complex ideas into powerful experiences, whether it’s transforming a sketch into a school, turning a concept into a car, or making a myth into a movie. Globally, Design and Make employs, conservatively, 295.7 million people.About Autodesk
The world’s designers, engineers, builders, and creators trust Autodesk to help them design and make anything. From the buildings we live and work in, to the cars we drive and the bridges we drive over. From the products we use and rely on, to the movies and games that inspire us. Autodesk’s Design and Make Platform unlocks the power of data to accelerate insights and automate processes, empowering our customers with the technology to create the world around us and deliver better outcomes for their business and the planet. For more information, visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk. #MakeAnything
Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.About Aston University
For over 130 years, Aston University has been making our world a better place through education, research and innovation. Our history is intertwined with the remarkable city of Birmingham, once the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and now the thriving base for an innovation ecosystem of global significance, which Aston is co-creating.
Our vision is to be a leading university for science, technology and enterprise, measured by the positive transformational impact we achieve for our people, students, businesses and the communities we serve.
Aston focuses on high-quality, exploitable research that has an impact on society through medical breakthroughs, advancements in engineering, policy and practice in government, and the strategies and performance of business.
The university offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, as well as continuing professional development solutions.
Thanks to its focus on delivering excellent outcomes for students, Aston University's reputation continues to grow. It was recognised as the Daily Mail University of the Year for Student Success 2025, is second in England for social mobility (2023 HEPI Social Mobility Index), and is top 20 for graduate salaries (2024 Longitudinal Education Outcomes).
Aston University is now defining its place in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk