Welcome to CiviCast: our new regular series of podcasts and blog posts, amplifying the voices shaping the future of civic universities and the places they call home.
CiviCast 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. Whether you prefer to read our blog or listen to our podcasts, we invite you to join the conversation.
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
CiviCast
A new and regular series of podcasts from the National Civic Impact Accelerator, available wherever you get your podcasts!
Listen Now
If you prefer, you can also watch all episodes of CiviCast on our YouTube channel, or subscribe to our channel here:
CiviCast Debate Stage
Blogs and opinion from a range of voices across the civic university movement:
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 ...