The ALP has been launched by the National Civic Impact Accelerator and will see universities working together to address challenges in developing civic engagement and co-creating innovative solutions. It is designed to help transform the work of the partnerships, while also generating learning for others working across the country in place-based networks.
The National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA) is three-year programme to gather evidence, share civic innovations, and provide universities with the framework and tools to deliver meaningful, measurable civic strategies and activities.
Funded by Research England, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the NCIA is led by Sheffield Hallam University in close partnership with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), the Institute for Community Studies (ICS), West Midlands Regional Development Institute at the University of Birmingham (WMREDI), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), and the OECD.
The 12 partnerships include:
- Anglia Ruskin University
- City University London
- Edge Hill University
- Lancaster University
- Universities for Nottingham; University of Nottingham & Nottingham Trent University
- Staffordshire University
- University of the Arts London
- University of Bath
- University of Kent
- Universities Partnership: Working together for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland; University of Leicester, De Montfort University & Loughborough University
- University of York
- Teesside University
The ALP partnerships were chosen to ensure the programme had a good geographical reach across the country and involved: people at different stages of their civic journey; different sizes and scales of partnerships; and different types of location.
Sophie Duncan, co-director of the NCCPE, said: “We are delighted to lead the Action Learning Programme as part of the NCIA project. There is significant expertise within civic university partnerships, but also a range of specific challenges impeding progress.
“An action learning approach will enable innovation and generate insight into how to tackle these challenges and put new ways of working into practice. The programme sits at the heart of the NCIA programme, ensuring we can draw on the evidence base, and share learning and insights with others.”
Adam Leach, NCIA Programme Director at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “I am thrilled to see these 12 civic university partnerships coming together with the fantastic team at NCCPE through the NCIA's Action Learning Programme, to tackle common civic engagement challenges and find solutions that will transform their work. Their efforts will generate valuable learning and insights and help answer the question of how universities can become truly civic. I’m really excited to see the impact of this programme for higher education and communities across the country.”
The partnerships will join a dynamic action learning programme over the next 18 months, working on a range of challenges, including: how to measure the impact of civic partnerships; how to develop equitable partnerships which realise mutual benefit; how to find meaningful ways to involve communities and citizens in decision making, and how to work with communities to address the climate agenda.
Find out more about the NCIA or contact the team.
