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.

Where to position pre-16 outreach in the university structure – and why

Pre-16 outreach is vitally important for helping under-represented groups achieve success in higher education. But its positioning within a university structure can make a real difference to its influence. Find out how here

Steve Briggs, Paula Page

University of Bedfordshire

Doctors talking to non-medics around a table

Move beyond tokenism to embed patient insights in medical curricula

Patients often help with medical and healthcare teaching – yet they are rarely involved in designing what students are taught. Find out how one university team worked with patients to co-produce a medical curriculum that strengthened educational quality and public accountability

Amber Bennett-Weston, Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

Students laugh together in front of a blue wall

Build student and community partnerships for safer campuses

Employ the local community and nearby institutions to address student safety issues in a collaborative way. Here’s how

Simon Merrywest

The University of Manchester

What it means to be a university social media director

Social media director is an often-misunderstood role. From the outside, the job can seem as if it revolves around sports highlights, trending sounds and campus beauty shots but those moments represent only a fraction of the work

Riley Phillips

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Young male and female high school students in a chemistry lab

Why investment earlier in the pipeline would strengthen diversity in STEM

Persistent inequities in uptake of science, engineering, technology and mathematics begin before college. Drawing on evidence from K-12 talent development programmes, Keisha Simmons offers practical guidance to strengthen the STEM pipeline

Keisha Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A woman in a lab coat testing samples in a lab

Inspire the next generation of bioengineering lab technicians

STEM outreach workshops can encourage school students to pursue careers as laboratory research scientists. Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso offers advice on creating memorable and engaging experiences

Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso

Imperial College London

The difference between good and bad impact management

How do academics and research managers really feel about impact management? Here’s how it can be done badly, and how to do it right

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Graduate ambassadors can support student employability

Alumna, alumnus, alumni: how can graduates influence current and future students?

Are universities mobilising one of their most impactful tools to boost student recruitment, improve graduate employability and strengthen the student experience: the alumni community?

Nicole Chapman, Jessica Boxall

University of Southampton

Doing outreach with children? Start with bricks, questions and storytelling

When the climate crisis dominates headlines but often feels too large for meaningful action, how can university researchers invite the next generation to engage, imagine and lead? Here, Nadera Assim shares insights from a workshop on composting

Nadera Assim

University of Southampton

Campus Talks: The value of arts and humanities in higher education

A vice-chancellor-artist and a historian discuss the merits of the arts and humanities and what valuable life lessons and skills can be gained from the study of these disciplines

Michael Scott, Mark Power, Miranda Prynne

The University of Warwick, Liverpool John Moores University

Measuring the value of movement: how universities can capture the benefits of sport and physical activity

With robust, quantitative data, the higher education sector can show how its sporting activities and facilities contribute to both student and staff well-being and national health goals while strengthening the case for future investment

Phil Malatesta

University of Southampton

Creating a safe space for patients and public in research

How can healthcare researchers ensure that non-researchers feel comfortable to share opinions or ask questions during project meetings?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

How business education can preserve cultural heritage

Strengthen communities and protect cultural traditions by using business education to support artisanal practices. Here are four ways to do so

Ahlam Fakhar

Al Akhawayn University

Microscope focusing light on a group of people

How to engage the public in research

Advice for fostering citizen science and public engagement in research

Campus contributors

Campus

A meeting takes place around a long table

How to engage with stakeholders for research that matters

For meaningful research impact, stakeholder engagement has to be genuine and built over time. Follow these tips for better collaboration

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Barbed wire and a security camera on a brick wall

What learning behind bars can teach us about the university classroom

A partnership with a prison helped one educator see her university teaching in a different light. Find out how

Sobia Razzaq

University of Westminster

Turn your research into a Hollywood-worthy story

Take a leaf out of a master storyteller’s book. If you want your research to be noticed, transform it into a story. After all, it worked for Charles Darwin…

Simon Hall

University of Cambridge

Are academics becoming overexposed on LinkedIn?

Social media is key to building an academic network but what about the darker side of putting your professional life on global display? Larisa Yarovaya explores the balance between polished presence and oversharing

Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

How to demonstrate the worth of arts-and-humanities-based research

Express the tangible benefits of your creative work and practices, by showcasing public value

Mette Hjort

The Education University of Hong Kong

Young Muslim female student in university classroom

What universities gain from involving displaced students in civic engagement

Civic action not only gives displaced students and refugees a sense of belonging and agency, it brings academic communities benefits such as cultural insight and leadership skills

Jonathan Becker, Zarlasht Sarmast

Bard College

THE Awards 2025: lessons from the stars of UK and Irish higher education

Learn from leading voices, innovative teams and individuals across the university sector, whose work has been recognised in the shortlist for this year’s Times Higher Education Awards

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

Why universities must step up their efforts as civic institutions

As major employers and civic bodies, universities have the opportunity – and responsibility – to work with local communities to drive meaningful change. Here are lessons from community organising

Farhan Samanani, Michael Bennett

King’s College London

‘We stopped talking at communities and started working with them’

From consultation to collaboration, a ‘new’ approach to building meaningful community-university relationships results in connection, trust and true partnership

Kimberley Simms, Luke Parmenter

Nottingham Trent University

How to build a bridge from adversity to university

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

Christopher Smethurst, Becky Edwards, Sandra Lyndon

University of Chichester

Lessons from first-time festival planners

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

Sarah Cameron, Jane Pearson, Hannah Perkins, Katherine Wilson

University of Chester

Campus Talks: The role of universities as bastions of free speech and open debate in polarised times

An expert in constructive dialogue and a free speech campaigner explain how universities can nurture productive disagreement and uphold the principles of free speech and academic freedom in the face of growing polarisation

Caroline Mehl, Abhishek Saha

Constructive Dialogue Institute, Queen Mary University of London

A podcast host speaing to an unseen interviewee

Bridging the digital knowledge gap between generations with podcasts

Faced with students who seemed to know it all, one educator used podcasting to build engagement and intergenerational dialogue about how digital technology is impacting people's lives

Mónica Itzel Gárate Carrillo

CETYS Universidad

A community-university partnership is a relationship, not an affair

Long-term, mutual benefits of civic engagement emerge slowly, which can be at odds with university timelines. A ‘new’ 10-year project shows how trust and commitment need persistence to pay off

Mhairi McVicar, Ali Abdi, Corey Smith

Cardiff University

Seeing is believing: how to make internationalisation count

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

Michael Scott

The University of Warwick

A clear vision for university-community partnerships

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

Leon Davies, Rachel Shaw, Guy Rippon

Aston University, Aston Villa Football Club

Critical thinking v fake news: a case study

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

Laura Bradnam

Birkbeck, University of London

Demonstrating research excellence Campus spotlight guide image

From the lab to life: how to demonstrate research excellence

Advice on innovative and traditional methods of communicating your research and impact to different audiences

Campus contributors

Campus

Conversations that drive grassroots innovation in higher education

When university resources are limited, innovation doesn’t always begin with boardroom decisions or major funding. Sometimes it starts with one conversation and a willingness to act on it. Here’s how university staff can drive change through grassroots leadership initiatives

Penny Triantafillou

The University of Warwick

From clashing egos to compassionate debate in the classroom

By reframing debates as opportunities to build resilience, empathy and self-confidence, educators can help students strengthen relationships and develop lifelong skills for well-being and personal development

Elisa González

CETYS Universidad

An early career researcher’s guide to impact

Research impact can often be reduced to an administrative task, yet looking past metrics and seeing your work come to life can be incredibly rewarding. Here’s how to connect with the ‘why’ of your research

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

How to create snackable social media content

What makes an engaging post that delivers your key message? Here’s what university social media creators should do and what they should avoid when creating short-form content

Evan Atkinson

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Critical thinking in teaching and research

Practical strategies and advice for university educators and researchers to develop and teach the skills to analyse, evaluate, understand and communicate knowledge in an information-saturated world

Eliza Compton, Campus contributors

Campus

The keys to strong university–non-profit partnerships

Collaborative projects between universities and non-profits nurture empathy and allow students to make a real-world impact. Here, three educators share their tips for building meaningful partnerships that benefit students and communities alike

Mariana Leyva , Martha Sáenz , Itzel Eguiluz

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Campus talks: using social media not as a tool but as a teacher in higher education

What can university educators learn about teaching and audience engagement from social media? Two experts – a psychologist and a professor of public relations – share strategies for connecting with students, finding wider audiences for niche research, and fighting misinformation

Peter Lovatt, Cayce Myers

Doctor Dance, Virginia Tech

Why academics should adopt a podcaster’s mindset

Launching a podcast helped Mark Carroll gain new perspective on communicating research to the public. Here are four lessons he learned

Mark Carroll

University of the West of Scotland

Campus talks: university libraries – and librarians – that are leading the change

Learn about the efforts of US librarians to protect valuable public data from sudden erasure by the Trump administration and a pioneering project which saw a UK university partner with a local council to create a joint library that is open to anyone

David Green, Lynda Kellam

University of Worcester, University of Pennsylvania

Stepping stones to milestones: tap into micro-moments for alumni engagement

To connect effectively with alumni, bite-sized social media content must mirror the complexity of the lives it touches, writes Florence Neo

Florence Neo

Singapore Management University

A team discusses at Post-It notes on a wall

Communication skills needed for public policy and how to teach them

Effective public policy requires clear communication and public engagement. Here’s how to equip future policymakers with the necessary skills

Lisa Lim

Nazarbayev University

How to bring university science into primary schools

Engaging primary-school-age children with STEM will help them to think critically and develop informed opinions for the rest of their lives. Here’s how to do it

Farah Jaber-Hijazi

University of the West of Scotland

Image of a globe surrounded by the 17 SDG symbols

The need for integrated thinking at universities: from Covid-19 to the SDGs

A joined-up approach between universities, public services and businesses – as successfully demonstrated during the pandemic – is now needed if institutions are to accelerate efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Abeer Hassan

University of the West of Scotland

Engagement isn’t a trade-off – it’s a path to stronger research

REF 2021 placed more emphasis on impact and engagement, meaning we must no longer rely on our research to speak for itself. Read how to engage with those beyond academia to ensure your work has a greater impact on society

Florian Bauer , Raffaello Rossi

The University of Bristol

Campus talks: the secrets of effective policy engagement – from two academics who have worked in government

Two academics who are steeped in policy expertise, having worked in government in the UK and US, share practical insights on what works when trying to get research before the eyes of decision-makers

David R. Garcia, Michael Sanders

Arizona State University, King’s College London

How to succeed as a green leader

Small projects, broad buy-in, leadership-level commitment and consistent attention to energy, waste and water all add up to a more sustainable campus. Here’s how a UK university turned its climate awareness around

Andrew Church, Toby Maloy

University of Bedfordshire

How to choose the right industry partners

Developing long-term, successful industry partnerships starts by choosing the right one. Here’s how to do it

Andy Colley

Birkbeck, University of London

A group of research aprticipants waiting to be interviewed

Why relationship building is key to policy influence

To influence policy, researchers must go beyond data to build trust and relationships. Strategic networking makes the difference

O. Grace Ngullie

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

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