Public engagement

Contact us for further information and to find out how to get involved

From local events to global projects, engaging with communities is a core part of our work. We're committed to being an open and accessible university with a civic purpose.

Public engagement enables us to empower communities for positive social change. We're committed to improving the wellbeing of the communities we work with and the cultural and economic growth of our region. All our engagement activities reflect our values of inclusivity, respect, and collaboration for mutual benefit. We hold a Silver Watermark for our commitment to public engagement from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE).

Strategic framework

Our strategic framework outlines the key mutual benefits of public engagement for communities and the University as well as our commitments to inclusive and reflective practice.

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

Civic	P1. Enable community-led development*	1-10
	P2. Increased diversity of voices and lived-experience influencing UCLan research and teaching, which impacts communities external to the University*	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10
	P3. Increased access to tools and knowledge to contribute to public debate and influence policy*	2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10
	P4. Increased opportunity and agency to shape teaching of future workforce*	5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
	P5. Increased capacity to deliver meaningful community projects through collaboration with other UCLan partner organisations and access to funding streams*	1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
	P6. Increased opportunity and agency to shape and develop research outputs important or relevant to them	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10
	P7. Increased access to further learning opportunities for personal and professional development	1, 4, 5, 8, 9,10
	P8. Increased awareness of involvement opportunities	1, 3, 4, 5,10

*Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

Research	O1. Involve public as researchers
Research	O2. Influence policy*
Research, Learning and Teaching	O3. Collaborate to develop better service and facilities for all*
	O4. Share knowledge with the public
	O5. Effective partnerships to further social development*
	O6. Listen to and respond to societal needs and expertise to inform research and training*
Learning and Teaching	O7. Apply student work to address societal need*
Learning and Teaching	O8. Widen participation in HE and promote social mobility*
Civic	O9. Improving perceptions and sharing University as a resource for the community*
Civic	O10. Increase local pride on a global scale

*Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

Scroll or swipe on small screens to see all table columns

Research	REF (Outcomes 1-6)	Deliver impact (Domains)	U1. Creativity and culture
			U2. Environment
			U3. Social and welfare
			U4. Production
			U5. Commerce and the economy
			U6. Practitioners and professional services
			U7. Public policy, law and services
			U8. Health, wellbeing and animal welfare
			U9. Understanding, learning and participation
Teaching and learning	REF (Outcomes 3-8)	Teaching on course	U10. Subject made more interesting
			U11. Course more interesting
			U12. Challenge students to achieve best work
		Learning opportunity	U13. Students can explore subject in depth
			U14. Students can bring different ideas and info from topics together
			U15. Students can apply learning
		TEF aspects of quality	U16. Student Engagement: encourage active commitment to studies (TQ1)
			U17. Develop students’ independence, knowledge, understanding and skills (TQ2)
			U18. Students exposed to learning environment at forefront of practice (LE2)
			U19. Improve knowledge, skills and attributes that are valued by employers (SE2)
			U20. Improve outcomes for those from disadvantaged backgrounds (SE3)*
Civic	Civic outcomes 1-10		U21. UCLan seen as ‘our’ University by local communities*
			U22. Engage under-represented groups with research or teaching*
			U23. Increase inclusive practices*

*Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

We hold a number of public events throughout the year. You can see upcoming events on our event calendar.

Get involved

The Community Action Forum runs three times a year. It offers an informal space for our colleagues, members of the public and community organisations to; network, improve community engagement with and beyond our University, consider and promote reciprocal benefits for all, work together on research, teaching, learning and problem solving and celebrate achievements.

Events are delivered in partnership with Comensus, the CVCL and our community networks. For more information on the next event or details of how to get involved, please get in touch.

Book your place

Your saved courses

Public engagement

Strategic framework

Benefits to the public

Outcomes

Benefits to the University

Lancashire Science Festival

Comensus

Community Action Forum

Engaged students

Watch our animated video series to discover more about our research01 / 08

Related links