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Engage actively with our communities to transform wider society
Overview
Our third strategic priority is to engage actively with our community of communities, to use our collective intellectual and wider capabilities to act as a ‘force for good’ and to be a facilitator that co-creates widespread and transformative economic and societal benefit. Our engagement portfolio will be both wide and deep as we engage actively with partners across many sectors including manufacturing, design, health, social enterprise, local government and policy makers. We will strengthen our local, regional, national and international ties, building innovative and collaborative relationships to meet the challenges of modern society and to inform and stimulate our own research and teaching.
The UK policy landscape for engagement has shifted radically in recent years, recognising that effective university engagement has the capability to influence economic growth and civic responsibility. In so doing, engagement is a core activity to securing the strong reputational and civic values that align with both our vision and purpose. Lancaster University’s national and international reputation sites it in an ideal position to convene partnerships that can support and capitalise on Government policy for the North, including the 'levelling up' agenda, local industrial strategy and place-based investment. By focusing on synergies across research, teaching, innovation, enterprise and local leadership, we can be a key catalyst in positioning the North West as a beacon for positive economic, health, social and educational change. Through our established reputation for excellence, by remaining agile and responsive and by working with partners in the UK and overseas, we will prioritise flagship projects that position the University as an institution that is both innovative and transformative.
We will continue to play a leadership role in policy development regionally, nationally and internationally. In the UK we will continue to contribute to policy, initially through the outputs and engagement of The Work Foundation but also through our more formal parliamentary and governmental advisory roles. We will play a leadership role in shaping the regional skills agenda, working closely with business and our delivery partners. In the Northwest we will facilitate collaboration across regional educational actors and draw on our research and wider partnerships to inform and influence the development of a regional skills agenda, that provides for the medium term but also prepares for the workforce of the future.
Priorities for Engagement
Focus on high-value, high-impact projects that harness cross-institutionalstrengths and capitalise on established partnerships
By exploiting the University’s distinctive approach we will seek out new opportunities and advance existing initiatives including the Health Innovation Campus, Eden North and participation in major initiatives such as Net Zero North and the Lancashire Cyber Foundry.
Shape the wider skills agenda in the region
By playing a convening role in Lancashire’s 'ladder of opportunity' we will support the network of regional FE colleges and universities to deliver opportunities in support of current and future skills needs across the Northwest. This will include, but is not limited to, building on our partnerships with Lancaster and Morecambe College to develop the 'Morecambe Bay Curriculum' via the Eden Project; with Blackpool and the Fylde College to create a 'Multiversity'; with Cumbria University to develop educational opportunities at Furness and Carlisle, and our pan-institutional support for a Lancashire Institute of Technology
Explore engagement opportunities in and between our overseas partner campuses
We will explore the potential for the University’s established principles to be adapted in support of the needs of our campuses and related regions overseas, developing these as ‘anchor institutions’ in their own context, supportive of local industrial research and development, entrepreneurial growth and social improvement.
Supporting initiatives
In support of this Strategic Priority we will:
- Continue to work with existing and new partners to the benefit of the wider Lancashire region and the UK building strong communities and exploring the potential to develop this model for engagement internationally.
- Realise the full potential of flagship opportunities such as Eden North and the Health Innovation Campus to enable researchers, businesses, local authorities and policy-makers to advance local and national thinking, planning and implementation of transformative opportunities.
- Assess and progress as appropriate, opportunities in fields including health, data analytics, cybersecurity and clean and sustainable growth.