Coventry University (UK)

Coventry University has a long and proud history at the heart of the City of Coventry dating back some 126 years. The University’s long history of civic engagement includes for example; volunteering programmes, community-based health initiatives and support for social enterprises in the city. Two example programmes are included below.

CUSE is our community interest subsidiary that has been working with social entrepreneurs to have impact on the health, prosperity and happiness of the city. A recent report on the social impact of CUSE is available here: https://www.coventry.ac.uk/cuse/about-us/cuse-social-impact-report/

Another initiative from our Research Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relationship is the Coventry Fab Lab. This is a joint venture between Coventry University, Coventry City Council and University of Warwick, a city centre resource for the community offering access to digital tools and technologies. More details available here: http://www.covfablab.org.uk

In the last year, the University has reaffirmed its commitment to civic engagement following the launch of the UPP Foundation’s Truly Civic campaign in February 2019, where Coventry has committed to developing a Civic University Agreement.

Civic University Agreement

The agreement aims to better align the University priorities with those of our local partners.  Alongside schools, further education colleges, local authorities, charities, the National Health Service, civil society and businesses large and small, we want to make sure that Coventry thrives in the coming decades.

The University is working with partners to finalise a framework that will support the delivery of immediate and identified priorities across the City of Coventry and enable the university to enhance its engagement with its local partners and communities. The proposed civic university framework highlights the following priorities:

• Supporting digital transformation within Coventry by investing in future-proof infrastructure and developing innovative applications that will embed technology in our day-to-day-lives.
• A living campus providing a high quality work-life experience, impacting positively on health and well-being and supporting local innovation and collaboration with business and the community.
• Enhancing the safety, security and environment across the city centre campus through the delivery of flexible and bespoke solutions.
• Supporting the delivery of sustainable and inclusive economic growth
• Partnering to deliver UK City of Culture 2021 and ensuring the delivery of its legacy strategy that will benefit the community of Coventry for years to come.

The framework is proposed as a basis for establishing a more detailed formal agreement that will be informed by the delivery of current activities, community and partner consultation and understanding of future priorities.

More details on the UPP Truly Civic campaign can be found here:
https://upp-foundation.org/civic-university-commission/