Welcome to our new series of blogs amplifying the voices shaping the future of civic universities and the places they call home.
Our new NCIA Debate Stage is the platform for a range of opinions, views and commentary on the UK's civic university movement, designed to spark dialogues that illuminate the contribution that universities and other anchor institutions can make to the places they call home, and debate solutions to the challenges they face on their journey.
The NCIA Debate Stage features insights from a diverse range of thought leaders and change-makers at the forefront of the civic university movement. While the views expressed are those of the authors and may not necessarily reflect the official position of the Civic University Network or National Civic Impact Accelerator programme, they are intended to stimulate meaningful discussions and inspire fresh perspectives on how universities can deepen their civic impact.
Do you have a civic story to tell, or an idea to maximise the impact of place-based collaboration? Get in touch to contribute to this new series!
Adam Leach, NCIA Programme Director
Making Civic Work Visible: Why the Civic Capabilities Framework Matters
The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement, NCCPE, ran an action learning programme for the NCIA, bringing together 14 civic partnerships to think through how to do this sort of work. A clear piece of ...
Embed Civic Responsibility Across University Practice: Reflect on real local needs and explore how universities can align their operations with community priorities, ensuring their practices genuinely model the positive changes promoted in wider society.
we often imagine civic responsibility as something carried out on the edges of university life, through outreach projects, community research, or volunteering. These activities matter, but they should not distract from a more fundamental truth. ...
Community Listening and Reverse Volunteering: Creating Civic Pathways for Inclusion
In many instances, community voices with the most to offer especially in terms of lived experiences and local knowledge are least likely to be heard. Therefore, inclusion as a practice should begin with listening. Community ...
Reflections from the NCIA Action Learning Programme
From September 2023 to April 2025 the NCCPE brought together 14 university-led civic partnerships from across England to take part in an action learning programme for the National Civic Impact Accelerator. The programme explored how ...
What Does Civic Look Like in Lancaster? – A Community Dialogue Story
When we talk about being a civic university, it can sound a bit abstract. In Lancaster, it’s anything but. Civic work is woven into the fabric of what we do, from supporting health partnerships to ...
“We just don’t know where to start”: Why We Built the Place Navigator
It was a comment we heard more than once in our early Action Learning Group sessions. University staff, passionate about their civic activity, eager to connect with their communities, were coming up against a familiar ...
Beyond ‘what works’, who works, how and at what scales for the civic university: reflections from the Regional Studies Association Conference, Porto May 2025
Building on from the backdrop of a renewed interest in the civic role that universities play in their local areas, members of the National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA) team co-led a special session at the ...
Social Ventures and the Civic University: A Delivery Model for Place-based Impact
A s universities across the UK embrace their growing civic responsibilities, their role as anchor institutions is being redefined. No longer just centres of learning and research, they are now expected to drive inclusive, place-based ...
NCIA Action Learning Event: Reflecting, Learning, and Looking Ahead
T he NCIA Action Learning Programme came together for its final in-person event in Birmingham in March. It was a day designed not just to mark the end of a journey but to serve as ...