Balancing global and local roles is a tricky and enduring challenge for UK universities. Increasing pressure to drive income and the competition propelled by excellence frameworks and rankings has pushed international reputation to the fore – arguably to the detriment of universities fully realising their role in their local places. But now, perhaps, the scales are tipping.
A civic future?
The past six years or so have seen a major revitalisation of the civic university agenda. A breakthrough report by the Civic University Commission in 2019, followed by the establishment of the Civic University Network in 2020 marked key milestones on this journey – but they are just the beginning of what could be a promising shift in how universities value and assess their role in localities and communities.
The previous Conservative government led a shift towards regional and local governance, spearheaded by devolution deals, integrated care systems, and accompanied by initiatives for community wealth and ownership. As Labour came to power in 2024, they echoed the commitment to regional and local devolution. This interest in addressing spatial inequities, paired with a likely shift in where power lies across England through Devolution next year, could usher in a new era of place-based approaches – and offers significant potential to drive new scales of public-private and community partnership with universities.
From this panorama, a new vision of civic universities emerges, with a unique opportunity to play a central role in tackling some of the most complex challenges of economic, social, cultural and environmental life. From the rise in automation to our nationwide transition to net zero carbon emissions, these are issues that may prove vital to both the survival of universities and the fate of places around the UK.
So, what has changed? Why is this a moment of opportunity? Through the Conservatives’ levelling up agenda to Labour’s Pride in Place, we’ve seen an emphasis on places and ambitions to address longstanding inequalities in ‘left behind’ places around the UK. Universities have been identified as key players in this change. And there may be opportunities through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill for universities to work with local councils and communities to drive sustainable growthy.
‘Anchor institutions’
Universities have huge potential to positively impact their surroundings. Seeing them as anchor institutions spotlights their role as employers, procurers, fundraisers, owners of social infrastructure, and key players in local business and entrepreneurship. This is a welcome departure from limited idea of universities as educators and researchers, and expands their impact to include placemaking, economic development, and supporting a thriving local community.
Additionally, it supports greater collaboration and alignment, resulting in universities increasingly working with local health organisations, other education providers, cultural institutions and local governments. This drives positive impact in local places, maximising universities’ capacity to affect systemic issues. For example, the Coventry and Warwickshire Place Forum established an integrated system for healthcare and wellbeing, including NHS England, local universities and local authorities. In Northern Ireland, the University of Ulster partnered with Drake Music and St Magnus Festival to create performance opportunities for disabled musicians, building accessible hardware and software interfaces to enable greater participation.
Unchartered territory
There is a wealth of such examples, yet still some way to go in understanding how best universities can collaborate with other institutions in their places and align priorities – which is why the Institute for Community Studies, as part of the National Civic Impact Accelerator, has assembled an evidence base on the impact of the civic strategies and activities of universities in their places.
Decarbonisation is also likely to become important in place partnerships, as the UK continues its journey to net zero carbon emissions. Universities must not only decarbonise their estates and places, but also support technological and human transformation locally. Universities will need to engage, for instance, in enabling the UK workforce to reskill towards greener jobs, and educating young people to participate in tackling the climate emergency in a range of ways.
Questions remain as to what constitutes a ‘climate education’, and what skills will be needed in the future, particularly in the face of growing automation. But in education and beyond, universities have the potential to shape wider systems in their places towards a greener, fairer future.
As we continue to navigate economic challenges, and as social mobility stagnates – especially for people in the north of England and the Midlands, and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, universities have the potential to work with local schools and employers to ensure that routes into and through education are as accessible to as many as possible, and that they translate to quality employment after graduation.
Hurdles along the way
The challenges universities face in funding civic activities is compounded by increasing economic pressure in declining real-term value of tuition fees and the loss of EU students and funding. Large-scale industrial action from staff also limits capacity and resource. But even with funding, university leadership still struggles to prioritise civic impact, partly due to a lack of evidence and ways of measuring social impact, and partly because it’s difficult to engage other institutions, partners and communities in collaborative, sustained efforts.
Universities increasingly need evidence on what institutions across the sector are doing to increase their civic role and impact – and, perhaps more importantly, to understand what is working and what is being learned. With this knowledge, universities will be able to make the most of this opportunity to reimagine and supercharge their civic role, navigating largely unchartered territory, to drive sustained, meaningful change in our local places.
A version of this article originally published on the NCIA website.
Education and employment Institute for Community Studies Local economies Posted on: 2 December 2025 Authors: Tania Carregha,