The Pokémon Company has joined forces with the Royal College of Art to award two students full-fee scholarships to "support the creation and exploration of innovative art and design".
Second-year masters' students Jesse Cahn-Thompson and Amir Afshar will be the first recipients of the Pokémon Scholarship.
As well as receiving scholarships for the final year of their degrees, the pair will be invited to visit the studios of the Japanese company, which spawned characters including Pikachu and Eevee.
Reflecting Pokémon's history of embracing technology
Due to be awarded annually, the scholarship aims to support students who demonstrate major potential in visual arts, design and communication.
"Pokémon evolved as a brand by embracing new technologies and collaborating with partners from new fields that range from data communication systems and geolocation-related technologies to partners in fashion and art," explained company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara.
"Through this scholarship, I am delighted to support students who show the potential for creating a new industry or mode of expression by exploring unknown possibilities," he explained.
Inaugural recipients work in different disciplines
Jesse Cahn-Thompson, who studies on the Information Experience Design programme, specialises in using artificial intelligence to create "alternative sensory experiences", for example, creating perfume using social media data.
Innovation Design Enginee...