Institutional Context
Summary
City, University of London’s tradition of providing high quality education and research relevant to business and the professions has its roots in Northampton Institute dating back 160 years. This heritage is reflected in its current unique education offering which combines a university focused on business, practice and the professions underpinned by excellence in research.
We are outward-facing and facilitate a range of ways that discoveries can be translated, modified, embedded, and otherwise made useful.
We are the Civic university of the City of London. We are proud to serve the dynamic hub that is the City and the creative belt that surrounds it – Islington, Hackney and King’s Cross.
Institutional context
Institutional context
City, University of London’s tradition of providing education and training relevant to business and the professions dates back 160 years to the Northampton Institute. This heritage is reflected in its current unique education offering which combines a university focused on business, practice and the professions underpinned by high quality research and an enviable London location.
Today, City comprises six schools of study delivering more than 600 courses. Alongside these several research centres providing an important link between theoretical research and the practical needs of business and community.
Engagement and Impact
In producing excellent research, we aim to generate solutions to pressing societal problems. The current strategy focuses on reaching out to and engaging with new communities that reflect the increasing research intensity across the institution. We also seek to develop a closer relationship between research, knowledge translation and impact, whether that entails commercialising intellectual property, influencing government and public authority decision-making, applying policy to clinical practice or successfully implementing artistic endeavour.
Over the last three years City has interacted with over 1,000 businesses regionally, nationally and internationally and has extensive sector linkages driving research, collaboration and innovation around identified priority areas and academic strengths in advanced manufacturing, creative arts, cyber security, financial services, healthcare, nursing & midwifery, and optometry. Since 2019/20 over 250 student and alumni businesses were formally assisted to start, grow or innovate, many are located in neighbouring boroughs.
City’s mission reflects its role as an anchor institution embedded in London, a world capital. City has deep connections with the City of London, the UK’s central business district. It’s 2026 Strategy places community at the core of its ambition, whilst the diversity of its student body reflects that of the city, and the emphasis on transforming life opportunities. This place-based outlook has shaped the University’s approach to knowledge exchange across all KEF perspective areas, whilst also maintaining a global outlook.
Our current knowledge exchange strategy focuses on (i) reaching new target communities
drawing from its excellent research across the institution’; (ii) embedding equality, diversity and inclusion into knowledge exchange (KE) activities; (iii) increasing support for entrepreneurial skills and for businesses; (iv) impact and KE will be better embedded in HR policies, recognising the importance of capturing the contribution of impact in appraisal, promotion and sabbatical policies, (iv) further embedding impact and KE in HR policies, recognising the importance of capturing the contribution of impact in appraisal, promotion and sabbatical processes; and (v) promoting the benefits of joint research to collectively solve problems and deepen understanding.
London as the geographical focus
City’s unique location acts as a bridge between the City of London, London Tech City, and ‘Knowledge Quarter’, a partnership of 35 academic, cultural, research, and media organisations based around London’s King's Cross area. We run a successful business start-up unit in the London Borough of Islington, and we are especially proud of our links to local businesses, start-ups and community groups.
For further information, please send queries to j.montgomery@city.ac.uk
Local Growth and Regeneration
Summary of approach
We are the Civic university of the City of London. We are proud to serve the dynamic hub that is the City of London and the creative belt that surrounds it – Clerkenwell, King’s Cross, Finsbury and Shoreditch.
We provide the talent and support the knowledge intensive professions. We provide the critical disruption to those professions, building new knowledge at the frontier of practice.
We have long-established and engrained partnerships with local political, commercial and civic stakeholders to understand the socio-economic needs of the areas we serve.
Local growth and regeneration activity are varied, specialist knowledge exchange, major programme collaboration, adult learning and business incubator that provides residents, workers, start-ups and early-stage businesses with the support they can find difficult to access.
Aspect 1: Strategy
Geographic focus and strategy
City University of London’s [‘City’s’] Research & Enterprise Strategy for 2016-21 (covering most of the KEF survey period) states its ‘commitment to local economic development’. This was affirmed in the 2018/19 Strategy Refresh which said that the ‘impact of City’s research should be felt both globally and locally through the exploitation of intellectual property.’
City’s current mission ‘We are the Civic university of the City of London. We are proud to serve the dynamic hub that is the City and the creative belt that surrounds it – Islington, Finsbury, King’s Cross and Shoreditch reflects its ongoing role as both an anchor institution for inner London boroughs, but also as a civic university. This contains a clear commitment to Local Growth and Regeneration (LGR):
“Embedded in London, a world capital, City has deep connections with the City of London, the UK’s central business district.”
“We provide the talent and support the London’s knowledge intensive professions. We provide the critical disruption to those professions, building new knowledge at the frontier of practice. “
The University’s strategic approach to LGR is embedded in the Enterprise, Engagement & Employability agenda, led by the Assistant Vice-President (Civic Planning & Development) and supported by a HEIF-funded Business Development Manager.
How did you identify the strategic importance of these area(s)?
City has always had a close association with its local boroughs, however, it was in 2016 when work was underway to produce a new institutional 10-year vision that City strongly signalled its commitment to local economic development.
In defining ‘local’, City works across three Inner London boroughs of Camden, Hackney and Islington as well as the City of London. City’s unique location acts as a knowledge and skills bridge between the City of London and these local authority districts.
The focus of the LGR strategy stems from City’s tradition of providing high quality education relevant to business and the professions that dates back to the 19thC to the Northampton Institute which had been established “to provide for the education and welfare of the local population” and with the objective of “the promotion of the industrial skill, general knowledge, health and well-being of young men and women belonging to the poorer classes.”
Even today, City has a disproportionate number of students from the Inner London boroughs thereby linking our LGR strategy with the education pillar of our Royal Charter.
Identification of need and strategy response
As a University with a strong place-based mission, City has long-established and engrained partnerships with local and regional political, commercial and civic stakeholders to understand socio-economic needs, and to address those needs through our education, research and innovation activities. This includes representation on key advisory boards shaping regional strategies and plans, such as Business LDN and Capital Enterprise, the membership body for providers of enterprise support services in London.
In addition to partnership, intelligence is also secured through a range of other channels and memberships, including:
Active participation in London’s Knowledge Quarter, a partnership of 35 academic, cultural, scientific and media organisations
A core member of The Cultural Capital Exchange, an AHRC-funded KE network of HEIs arts, cultural and creative sectors in the capital
A Government-sponsored Science and Innovation Audit of the area of London comprising King’s Cross’s Knowledge Quarter area.
Most recently, City has worked with regional leaders in response to COVID-19 through, for example, targeted support for business resilience and recovery.
This rich tapestry of intelligence and insight has provided City with clarity regarding the LGR needs of the area, which may be broadly categorised as the drivers and enablers of growth.
Examples of LGR need and alignment with our strategy and investment response include:
1. Skills development and employment
Need: A 2021 study by Trust for London found that 19 year olds without level 3 qualifications in neighbouring Hackney was 30.3% and in Islington it was 31.9% (compared to all London Boroughs average of 24.4%).
Response: City’s offers a wide range of short courses to around 4000 adult learners each year, many who work or live in the local boroughs. City also offers degree apprenticeships where students combine on-the-job training with study for a higher qualification, helping progress an apprentice’s career and give employers the highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce a business needs.
2. Green jobs and skills
Need: London Borough of Islington Net Zero Carbon Programme wanted to create a new generation of jobs in the industries and infrastructure we need to tackle the climate crisis, and a workforce that will be able to contribute to and benefit from a new green economy.
Response: The Borough commissioned affordable workspace at near Farringdon in partnership with City to support social impact businesses to succeed and attract investment by developing the sub-regional green industry sector and enable all other sectors to reduce their CO2 emissions to zero.
3. Strengthening the growth environment for SMEs in London
Need: to strength London’s business accelerator ecosystem to create jobs and generate wealth.
Response: from 2016-20, City was key delivery partner on the ERDF CASTS consortium which was aimed at strengthening the growth environment for SMEs in London, raise investment funds and create jobs, especially in new and emerging sectors”.
Aspect 2: Activity
LGR activity is varied, comprising major funded programmes; capital investment; and specialist knowledge exchange. Activities are underpinned by academic excellence, professional delivery team, and collaboration agreements to achieve strategic goals.
1. Skills development and employment
Delivery of CPD/short courses for career development: City offers a wide range of short courses, and profession-specific courses with high proportion of enrolments from residents, workers and entrepreneurs in the City of London and Inner London boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Camden.
Figure 1: City, University of London. Map showing local catchment area for Continuing Education enrolments. Data for 2021-22.
Additional IT and business skills classes: In responses to increased demand from local employers we have increased provision of Python/Excel and VBA/Java/AutoCAD and Revit/Cyber Security, and project management, thereby helping local employers to address skills gaps.
Contributed to the creative industries in neighbouring Finsbury, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch and to the 'content' that drives them. Enrolments on creative industries (film making, journalism, event management, music business) and creative writing courses enrolments rocketed during COVID-19 disruptions.
Driving social mobility and productivity through degree apprenticeships: City offers five apprenticeship programmes for a wide range of industries with new courses evolving quickly.
Taught by practitioners - business owners, CEOs, published authors, etc. so students develop industry-focused skills, which helps them in the job market. Students are given direct access to their sector and learn from the best in their industry.
2. Green jobs and skills
Leasing flexible incubator spaces: In June 2021, ‘Better Space’ opened as Islington Council’s first operational affordable workspace in partnership with City. This major development is a 6,000 sqft. space operated by City in a 10-year collaboration that will provide affordable workspace to micro and small businesses and deliver a range of skills and employment initiatives for the benefit of Islington residents, businesses, and communities.
Figure 2: Better Space is a collaborative space for entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Start-up or entrepreneurship support: The Better Space team provides value-added services for start-ups, virtual incubation services and accelerator scheme which all help local entrepreneurs gain the knowledge and skills needed to begin working on their idea.
Rewarding start-ups that focus on profit, people, and the planet. City returns significant levels of social value by delivering employment and skills opportunities for Islington residents, providing expert support for businesses and entrepreneurs and supporting Islington Council to meet their key objectives such as becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030.
3. Strengthening the growth environment for SMEs in London
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Investing in tech start-ups: Capital Accelerate & Scale Tech Superstars (CASTS) was a project run by Capital Enterprise with City as a key delivery partner to generate more innovative technology-focused, fast growth companies by expanding the provision of London’s high-quality accelerator programmes.
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ERDF match funding: CASTS attracted £3.6m ERDF with match funding from sixteen members, to provide London technology start-ups with support (digital skills, UX design skills, business model advice), alongside delivery partners including City, University of London.
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Specialist SME support: CASTS filled the gap in provision for a specialist support service that help these Tech SMEs to rapidly scale by providing expertise that enabled them to overcome technical challenges, and raise further private investment.
In addition, City has made significant investments to maximise the impact of its LGR activity, including:
Collaborative procurement partnership: Worked with the London Borough of Islington Council and other large institutions in the borough to agree joint goals on Employment, Procurement and Sustainability.
Local supply chains: Worked with the Islington Food Partnership to improve the borough’s food sustainability and waste. This includes the use of energy in transportation and storage.
Anchor Institution Network: City joined forces with Islington Council and large local employers to support growth and equality in the local borough. The Islington Anchor Institution Network members, of which there are nine, play major roles in the local economy, employing more than 22,000 people, and acting as purchasers, landlords, and strategic leaders.
Aspect 3: Results
Results
All significant LGR activity undergoes some level of appraisal to determine the extent to which it has addressed strategic objectives and delivered intended achievements. Assessment varies in scope and formality depending on the nature of activity, scale of investment, and funder requirement, where applicable.
Examples of outputs, outcomes and impacts for City’s three LGR activity areas:
1. Skills and human capital development
We have:
Addressed the skills gap for local employers, with 4000 enrolments in short courses, most from local boroughs, and around 11,000 learner days, per year.
Improved access education for local residents who have been excluded from higher education for not having prior academic qualifications or knowledge.
Contributed to economic prosperity via the creative sector including publishing as shown by our creative writing students having work published commercially with Granta, Faber&Faber, Viking and The History Press, Orion, Simon and Schuster.
Improved social cohesion in local boroughs as evidenced by this alumnus of the ‘Writing for Social Impact’ who now teaches his own class and inspire the next generation of young writers.
“Over the years I have written a lot about my youth work, London’s communities and the social issues they face, and I always aim to collaborate with and platform those who aren’t otherwise represented in mainstream storytelling. This course is an extension of that. In the last 18 months I have transitioned to mentoring younger writers, creating spaces to help younger people to have transformative conversations, and write about their hidden experiences of British society.
Improved skills of staff in local private and public health sectors, including NHS Trusts, CCGs, hospitals, hospices and GP Practices.
Developed workplace skills to increase return on investment long-term of local firms by offering degree apprenticeships, as this testimony shows:
“Choosing an apprenticeship over the traditional route to qualification has been the best decision that I could have made. City University have been very supportive and I am loving the challenges and rewards that the combination of practical work and academic study brings.
Solicitor Apprentice, Employer: ITV Headquarters, Clerkenwell | The City Law School
2. Green jobs and skills:
Through ‘Better Space’ we have:
Contributed to inclusive entrepreneurship by encouraging under-represented founders. The current membership comprises 67% female, 33% male; 20% BAME; 21% LGBTQ community identifying; and 10% consider themselves to have a disability.
Contributed to local innovation and entrepreneurial activity through the hosting of around 100 entrepreneurs, including 22 social entrepreneurs in residence, excluding larger organisations (e.g. Greenpeace) and freelancers.
Improved the performance of existing businesses by showing them how to grow, such as Tutors United, which works with housing associations and local schools to provide literacy and numeracy support for primary school children and their families. Now having supported over 2,000 families across the UK since 2012, including 70 families in Islington, they also work from Better Space.
Contributed to local economic and social prosperity. Better Space co-working and meeting space delivered Social value to date: £165,688 [April 2022].
Improved access to employment and education by offering local residents CV writing and interview practice clinics.
Enabled alternative economic models of local regeneration to be developed, as testified by Cllr Asima Shaikh, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Inclusive Economy and Jobs:
“By creating a social enterprise hub, the council is delivering on its commitment to support alternative models of enterprise ownership, helping to create a more democratic economy.
“The pandemic caused major challenges for Islington’s communities. Better Space is a shining example of how we can adapt and rebuild a locally inclusive economy, so wealth is more equally shared across our communities.”
3. Strengthening the growth environment for SMEs in London
Through the ‘CASTS’ project we have:
Improved the performance of high growth start-ups by the provision for a specialist support service that will help these Tech SMEs to rapidly scale by providing expertise that will enable them to overcome technical challenges, and raise further private investment.
Increased to economic prosperity. CASTS not only helped maintain the London accelerator ecosystem’s level of excellence but also built upon it to ensure London and the UK continued to benefit from the jobs and wealth generated.
Delivered a highly impactful and cost-efficient project that has surpassed all of its project objectives and targets for job creation, private investment and the number of SMEs supported. The project demonstrated excellent value for money with every £1 spent by the public sector, the CASTS project generated £4.90 for the London economy.
Figure 3: Capital Accelerate & Scale Tech Superstars (CASTS) match funded by ERDF
To date, CASTS has supported 796 start-up businesses out of a target of 600, enabled these start-ups to create 957 jobs out of a target of 450, helped start-ups to raise £142 m in investment out of a £30m target, and 395 new enterprises supported (businesses which are less than 12 months old)
Source: https://www.capitalenterprise.org/case-study/CASTS/
How do you communicate and act on the results?
Building on success
Building on the CASTS project, in 2020 Research England awarded City funding to create the National Centre for Creativity enabled by Artificial Intelligence (CebAI) through its RED Fund. CebAI will deliver new AI-based services to SMEs to augment business creativity.
Communicating success stories
More success stories about City’s involvement in regeneration and local growth are shared online at: https://www.city.ac.uk/news-and-events/news?series=enterprise-spotlight
City recognises the public benefit of unrestricted access to research outputs and operates an open access to research policy which has resulted in 4,500 research publications over the last three years being made available licence free to anyone with an internet connection. Making research open to everyone supports rapid dissemination, greater technology diffusion, and greater use by business, public and third sectors. We also encourage our faculty to translate their breakthrough ideas into outputs designed to engage practitioners while others have non-technical summaries.
Regular consultation on City’s LGR strategy and performance is held through The Islington Anchor Institution Network which captures views from community leaders, schools and colleges, local employers, leaders from relevant professional or sector bodies, and HE representatives.
Figure 3: Capital Accelerate & Scale Tech Superstars (CASTS) match funded by ERDF
Public & Community Engagement
Summary of approach
City, University of London (‘City’) is the university of business, practice and the professions.
Our approach to PCE is guided by our role as the Civic university of the City of London Corporation. We are proud to serve the dynamic hub that is the City and the creative belt that surrounds it – Clerkenwell, Finsbury and Shoreditch.
Our PCE activities include supporting knowledge diffusion including public lectures, exhibitions, and music concerts, working with at-risk social groups; supporting student and staff volunteering on community projects, and supporting social cohesion working with local charities.
Public engagement is incentivised, supported by professional staff and academic leaders, and are well regarded by those who engage with us.
Aspect 1: Strategy
Strategy
As an anchor institution, having a clear public and community engagement strategy is important so we can set out how we support, engage, learn from, understand and work alongside our communities and stakeholders.
We have drawn on the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement definition of public engagement in developing what public and civic engagement (PCE) means at City, University of London. In February 2021, we agreed a Vision Statement, setting out what the Strategy encompasses:
‘Building on City’s charitable roots, we will work with and for our vibrant and diverse communities to create and share knowledge and skills, strengthen and connect partnerships and enable opportunities in order to enrich and transform lives.’
Public engagement at City reflects the spectrum of public engagement activities: to inform, to involve, to consult and/or to collaborate with the aim of enabling the widest possible range of audiences to engage with the University’s work locally, nationally and globally.
We interact with a wide range of audiences, communities, and organisations. We value the diversity of our relationships and we take an inclusive approach to defining ‘the public’ for the purposes of our engagement work.
The public includes, but is not limited to:
Patients and their carers
Local residents and workforce
Professional bodies and their members
Entrepreneurs
Schools
Charities
City of London
Neighbouring wards: Clerkenwell, Finsbury and Shoreditch.
London Borough of Islington
The media
Audiences attending music concerts, demonstrations and exhibitions
Public engagement themes
Public and civic engagement at City is organised into three intersecting themes
Figure : Public and civic engagement at City is organised into three intersecting themes
The three themes reflect the University’s strengths and portfolio of existing activities in public and civic engagement whilst allowing space for development and growth. The thematic structure is broad-based and reflects research, education and practice orientation of the current institutional strategy.
Public and Civic Engagement: four Strategic Objectives
1. Build and embed a culture of public and civic engagement based on our three themes across the university.
2. Provide support and a structured programme of development for any member of the University community who wishes to develop their interest and skills in public and civic engagement and
3. Achieve external recognition, funding and a national reputation for original, effective, responsive and inclusive public and civic engagement work with private, public and third sectors.
4. Increase the diversity of publics that take part in City’s research engagement activities.
Governance:
Governance is divided between Director of Marketing (Communications Team, outreach, general public events), Vice President for Engagement, Employment, Enterprise (Civic engagement, community partnerships, local skills improvement), and Vice- President for Research (Public involvement in Research, HEIF-reporting).
Aspect 2: Support
Achieving our Aims
The PCE strategy implementation plan speaks both to what we will do and how we will do it, recognising that the way in which public and civic engagement work is conducted is as significant as what is achieved.
The plan and associated actions reflect the underpinning values of inclusion, co-creation and responsiveness. Many of the actions are already underway, others are planned for development during the period of the strategy. The plan is regularly reviewed by the task and finish group reporting annually to the executive board. Over the previous three years we have:
Appointed a Vice-President (Enterprise, Engagement & Employability), and an Associate Dean (Public Involvement with Research) in the School of Health & Psychological Sciences.
Created a task & finish group to work on developing and implementing a new PCE strategy which is chaired by the Vice-President (Enterprise, Engagement & Employability), and is made up of representatives across each of the Schools, Professional Services and the Students’ Union.
Repositioned a HEIF-funded Business Development Manager to focus on Civic Engagement and Regional Economic Development so that institutional knowledge on local partnership and brokering is concentrated then shared.
Nurtured a pool of current academics to give greater visibility to their work outside of the academic community with new recruits added to the pool annually. In 2021-22, the Communications Team publicised 97 research outputs across news and social media.
Developed new web content highlighting how City is a place-based institution committed to attaching a high-priority to the economic, social, environmental, and cultural life of our local communities.
Created new content for The Conversation, a media outlet publishing news stories and research reports online, with accompanying expert opinion and analysis.
Offered workshops, training events, and seminars at which any member of staff interested in public engagement can attend and provided logistic support for a wide range of public engagement activities.
Incentivised public and community engagement among academic staff via the HR Academic Framework which sets out expected contributions to ‘community’ by staff wishing to be considered for promotion. Those aspiring to be Professor should provide evidence of strong and sustained evidence of industry / community engagement with proven benefits to both the university and the external community.
Recognised high achievement in public and civic engagement at the annual prize day. Now in their sixth year the President’s Awards are institution-wide awards for excellence in nine categories including: ‘Outstanding Research Engagement - Media and Outreach’ and ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community’.
Ensured public events are open to all members of the public and that chairs are briefed to take – and proactively encourage – questions from a balance of audience members. We providing booking facilities for those with a disability and make sure that all wheelchair-accessible routes are clear, from entrance to event venue. We provide cater for those with dietary requirements. We mark international equality dates, e.g. International Women’s Day.
Aspect 3: Activity
Each year more than 15,000 people attend events at City. Public engagement across the University is also supported and recognised by various resources, networks and events, which include:
Inspiring and equipping the next generation
Addressing global challenges: City has entered into a strategic university partnership with Engineers Without Borders UK, a charity which is ‘putting global responsibility at the heart of engineering, ensuring a safe and just future for all’. The partnership co-creates educational resources, strengthens research on socially responsible STEM technologies and solutions, and much more.
Social enterprise: City's annual Good Entrepreneur Festival offers a range of workshops, keynotes, networking opportunities and competitions for everyone, and targets those interested in social entrepreneurship, social innovation and more broadly social responsibility of business.
Widening participation: The School Engagement Mentoring Project marks a fundamental commitment by City to engage with communities in London. The project delivers mentoring by business school students in schools and at the university as an accredited module in their degree programme.
Improving professional responsibility: The School of Science and Technology created the annual National Symposium on Developing Socially Responsible Professionals which brings together experts and stakeholders in the field to discuss topics such as Corporate social responsibility, the circular economy, and leadership and social value.
Innovating for better place-based solutions
City is a key partner in the Islington Sustainable Energy Partnership which helps businesses to save money, reduce carbon emissions and save energy consumption. The Partnership commissioned nearby ‘Better Space’ which incubates social impact businesses.
Pro bono legal advice: City Law students, supervised by academics and practicing lawyers, get real-life legal practice alongside their studies by doing pro bono work for the local community.
Eyecare for local residents: City Sight offers eye care services to the general public and local businesses in state-of-the-art facilities. Tests are carried out by City’s Optometry students supervised by a qualified optometrist enabling the latest generation of optometrists to receive the vital training they need.
Community volunteering: Staff and students volunteer their time, effort and expertise to the local community.
Public lectures: City organises around 120 public lectures, panel discussions, book launches, sector-specific events, and heritage celebrations.
Links to Livery companies: City has a long past and strong bonds with City livery companies (trade associations and guilds) and we work closely with them to innovate and come up with solutions together for their practicing membership.
Performance arts: The Department of Performing Arts hosts 30 free concerts throughout the year, presented by visiting international researchers, composers and performing musicians, alongside our own talented students and staff.
RESOURCING
The Communications Team supports faculty to use a range of communication channels to disseminate the results of research and facilitate its translation into practice.
Most grant holders now fund their own public engagement and this is assisted by having a more systematic approach to the inclusion of public engagement in the scope of external funding bids and awards (e.g. to UK Research Councils, Wellcome Trust; the European Commission and other sources).
Non-grant holders can access internal funds to support their PCE activities, including HEIF, QR-Policy Support Fund; QR-Participatory Research Programme, and various research pump-priming schemes.
Finally, City supports volunteering by giving each staff member the opportunity to take two days of volunteering leave.
Aspect 4: Enhancing practice
User feedback, evaluation and improving our PCE
We provide tools and advice to encourage staff to reflect on their practice, and training and support for staff to apply these. These range from helping staff to gather user feedback/testimony, how to analyse and understand the data using online tools, and comparative data from previous activities of similar nature.
How is user feedback received and evaluated?
Attendees at public events are asked to complete a short evaluation form. At discussion events attendees can tweet about the event to their followers and these comments are monitored by the event organiser. At high profile events selected attendees are interviewed and their comments are included in the write-up for the web site and if they consent may be contacted afterwards by a member of the events team.
Larger scale activities are evaluated extensively using feedback forms and online surveys of attendees. Funded community engagement activities are more likely to be evaluated than unfunded events. As are activities that are associated with potential REF Impact Case Studies because resources are made available to enable follow-up activity.
Many researchers use social media to communicate their research to a wider audience of readers and potential users. It is a very effective way of receiving rapid and direct feedback about their work. We help faculty to use social media effectively by showing them how to communicate a cause, connect and collaborate with other researchers, media organisations, charities or businesses.
Through the Public Involvement in Research Programme we work collaboratively to ensure the patient and carers voice is core to research in the School of Health & Psychological Sciences. To support stakeholders working in this area, a code of practice was created to provide ethical principles, how user feedback may influence how health care innovation is translated into routine use.
City is a founding member of The Conversation, where academics write about their research for a general audience. Staff have published over 600 articles on the site, generating 6,700 comments and 10m reads. This offers high value feedback mechanism with automated alerts.
Resourcing and support for evaluation:
The Communications Team proactively target influential stakeholders who may be interested in our research – specifically relevant think tanks, membership organisations, parliamentarians and policy makers. We also set up systems to monitor mentions of City and its academics in Parliament. Mentions are picked up and fed back to researchers and their deans.
Through face‐to‐face and online training, we actively promote the Symplectic Elements Impact Module as the preferred University repository to record evidence and documentation related to public engagement activities.
HEIF-funded Business Development Managers encourage academic staff to embed monitoring and evaluation measures into funded proposals, events, and consultations, where possible.
We provide at least two training workshops per year on how to evaluate public engagement.
Aspect 5: Building on success
Sharing success in PCE
The University’s PCE plan underlines the requirement for timely reporting of impact and sharing of results from activity. A range of mechanisms are typically employed, reflecting the breadth of stakeholder groups and beneficiaries engaged including:
Social media: Photos and videos from university events are posted to Instagram Stories, Twitter and Facebook Live. City has 30.5K Twitter followers across its different accounts.
Media reports are prepared for university leaders to promote key successes, at individual, School and University level. Later content is reused for alumni newsletters.
Research impact and attention: we promote impactful research externally via media relations, key stakeholders and through our website
Website: we assist faculty to create compelling content for the news website and for school newsletters.
Bespoke web microsites: City’s REF2021 impact case studies were shared in accessible format on web microsite with bite-sized video.
Governance
The Communications Team produces an annual report including public and community engagement events for the Executive Team and University Council. This provides oversight and is ultimately responsible for the Public and Civic Engagement Strategy and its implementation. The plan is championed among the top executive team by the Vice-President (Enterprise, Engagement, and Employment) and by the Director of Marketing.
Wider benefits of PCE
The benefits of public and community engagement to City are that they enhance our core charitable purpose of Education and Research. This is especially important during years of financial constraints when non-core activities could be asked to scale back.
Researchers reporting that they are motivated by a strong sense of responsibility for public engagement (i), and growing significance of the impact agenda in the REF and funder priorities, building this activity into the design and conduct of research becomes essential.
Schools are increasing viewing their strategies in terms of research, education and engagement because stories of successful engagement can drive student enrolments, alumni donations and staff development.
How has the institution acted on the outcomes of activities?
Improving engagement locally
The extent to which local residents engage with City is limited by their lack awareness of what City does. To address this, we are raising awareness and understanding of the University by, for example, building more active working relationships with the two local newspapers covering the University’s location – the Islington Gazette and the Islington Tribune. We showcase our events or some other aspect of University life such as scholarship recipients, research breakthroughs, or successful collaborations.
We also have a local resident’s group which meets termly and through which we disseminate positive news from the university. We also share key university updates with our local MP, Emily Thornberry.
Building on the strength of its links with its neighbouring boroughs and with the desire to do more City has signed a Civic University Agreement to demonstrate its commitment to the economic, social, environmental, and cultural life of our local communities.
Engaging the general public
City has renewed its membership of The Conversation which provides an online platform that enabled research students and researchers to engage the public with their research through written articles; and enable researchers and research students to benefit from training and workshops provided by the Editors of The Conversation as part of the membership package.
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