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There is an opportunity for us to signal the need for a closer connection between universities and the outside world and to lead by example by launching a new kind of public and cultural engagement strategy.

Telling a better story 

This new strategy seeks to unite existing and new kinds of public and cultural engagement activity from across the university around a clear and bold call to arms and call to action; making the most of our combined energy and investment while establishing a compelling narrative that can help change perceptions about our sector’s relationship with the outside world.

By being seen to respond to the need for closer connection between the work that we do and the broader community, we believe we can lead the way in reframing the role that universities can play in our shared future.

The University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ is well placed to do this. We have a strong and established public and cultural engagement offering – from our research impact and community outreach to our cultural venues, collections and creative links with Birmingham and Dubai. We have the energy and the ambition to go further, to innovate, challenge and create impact. And, as a leading Russell Group university, we have the profile and the standing to make people sit up and take notice.

A bold call to arms

What makes Birmingham stand out from other great universities? From the beginning we’ve focused on the impact of our work, on how we activate our discoveries to create positive change.
And that determination to play an active part in shaping the world around us has gone hand in hand with the drive and the need to connect and engage. We believe public and cultural engagement is more than a nice-to-have, for us it’s fundamental to our character and our success. You could say we connect: we activate.

Our new public and cultural engagement strategy starts with a bold statement of intent, designed to inspire, surprise and challenge. We want to use language that can resonate beyond the walls of academia, to show our ambition and signal that engaging with the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ is an energising, transformational and thoroughly human experience.