Outreach and public engagement

How universities can use civic engagement and collaboration to get local communities and the broader public involved in their research and other work and generate positive impacts felt beyond the campus walls. These resources also explore effective ways for academics, educators and other teams to reach out and engage with school pupils and groups underrepresented in higher education to break down potential barriers to access.

By Eliza.Compton, 3 November, 2025

How to build a bridge from adversity to university

Older man in university class
In this video, academics explain the essential elements – initial outreach, support and an interdisciplinary approach – behind the success of the Adversity to University bridging programme
Reading time
5minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 31 October, 2025

Lessons from first-time festival planners

Chester, UK
Co-creating a large-scale, impactful public event can seem more like a ‘would love to’ than a ‘must’, particularly in the face of resource pressures or lack of an established culture or calendar. Here’s advice learned from developing a four-day festival from scratch
Reading time
4minutes
By miranda.prynne, 23 October, 2025

Seeing is believing: how to make internationalisation count

The Venice skyline at dusk
Simply being international is no longer enough in higher education. Internationalisation needs to demonstrate impact and return on investment – and to do that, it needs to be seen, writes Michael Scott
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 20 October, 2025

A clear vision for university-community partnerships

ophthalmologist examining a child's eye
Mutual respect, actively listening to each other’s perspectives and clear mechanisms to evidence impact should be the foundation of a university-community collaboration. Here’s how a project to improve local children’s eye health grew into an ongoing partnership
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 15 October, 2025

Critical thinking v fake news: a case study

Someone reads the news on their phone
In this age of disinformation, how can universities embed critical thinking skills in their local communities? A face-to-face workshop could be the answer
Reading time
4minutes
Outreach and public engagement