Civic University Agreement
Two years on from the University of Derby launching its Civic University Agreement (CUA), we have co-created more than 100 events including conferences, workshops and presentations, continued our streak of sold-out CivicLAB™ Conferences for the fourth year running, and engaged with over 14,000 participants.
As a civic university, we are involved in a wide range of projects and initiatives that are making a real difference to local communities and individuals – opening doors to opportunities, raising aspirations and helping to transform lives.
- Civic projects
- The Civic Awards
- Community sponsorship
- Knowledge Exchange Framework
- School Tasking
Civic projects
As part of the CUA, we are committed to supporting community-based projects and work hard to secure additional funding to enable us to deliver even greater value and impact to local communities.
Derby Book Festival
Last year we signed a strategic partnership with Derby Book Festival to further strengthen our commitment to arts and culture in Derby. In February 2024, Professor Keith McLay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, was appointed as the new Chair of Derby Book Festival. The festival runs twice a year and features a series of talks programmed by the University’s CivicLAB™ and delivered by our academics, which sold out for both seasons of the festival.
Shedding light on long Covid
This artist research project was created by Dr Rhiannon Jones, Associate Professor (Civic), Head of Civic and Communities and CEO/Founder of S.H.E.D™, based on findings from a study led by Mark Faghy, Professor in Clinical Exercise Science.
This project united university researchers with artists and creatives from across the UK to develop Shedding Light on long Covid, a thought-provoking exhibition and programme of events to engage local communities in the latest long Covid research.
S.H.E.D™, which stands for Social Higher Education Depot, is a research and innovation space that engages the public with lifelong learning and teaching through creative industry and cultural practice.
It can adapt to multiple situations and designs, supporting diversity and bringing people together from a range of communities and disciplines. S.H.E.D™ is delivered by Designing Dialogue, a spin-out company from the University.
This unique platform brings together clinical and academic research and creative and cultural knowledge to create a community project focused on the impacts of long Covid and how people in the city and region can come together to understand and challenge these impacts.
Taking place at the Museum of Making and Derby Cathedral via the S.H.E.D™ mobile arts venue, the exhibition featured a diverse range of artworks created by local and national artists, including community podcasts, photography, live performance, online and in-person workshops inspired by research data.
Civic Curiosity E-Bikes™
The University, Designing Dialogue CIC and Derby City Council collaborated on an innovative community project designed to engage young people and those from marginalised groups in art and research.
The Civic Curiosity E-Bikes™ project saw two large electric bikes, each one featuring a compact wooden cabinet which can be unfolded to reveal compartments containing curious artefacts, taken across the city and county to deliver a programme of events aimed at engaging the public in a mobile and fun way.
The bikes made their debut at Timber Festival before an audience of 5,000, where S.H.E.D™ (Social Higher Education Depot) – a spin-out CIC of the University of Derby – delivered a programme of events to visitors.
Machines of the future – Creative Engineering Summer School
The University of Derby and S.H.E.D™ partnered with the charity UK New Artists to design and run a free, week-long summer school for young people, exploring the intersection between art and engineering.
The Machines of the Future summer school provided a unique opportunity for ten participants aged 13 to 17 to visit the University for the first time. Over the course of the week, the young people learnt about Derby's industrial past, visited local institutions and built their very own machines on cutting-edge 3D modelling software.
Participants also met with industry experts including creative technology company Bloc Digital, and Derby-based artist John Whall. The summer school was met with acclaim and received coverage from national media.
Their achievements were celebrated at a public showcase in S.H.E.D™ at the end of the programme, where they received a certificate from Professor Keith McLay, Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
National Saturday Club: Society & Change
The University is proud to run Derby’s branch of the free Society & Change Saturday Club for 13 to16-year-olds, and this year it featured a special dance masterclass delivered by world-class breaker Kid Karam.
Karam studied BA (Hons) Sport Coaching and Development at the University of Derby, graduating in 2020.
He taught club members a series of basic breaking moves and participated in a Q&A session about his career. An audience of 55 people attended the event, made up of club members, university staff and key external stakeholders.
CivicLAB™
Over the course of the 2023-24 academic year, CivicLAB™ co-delivered a total of 15 events and engaged with more than 5,000 people. Its flagship event each year is the CivicLAB™ Annual Conference, which was guest-chaired by placemaking expert Dr Cara Courage in 2024. It was sold out for the fourth year running and welcomed guest speakers and delegates from across the country.
CivicLAB™ has been designed to support academics, creative and cultural industry professionals and freelance creatives to share their insights on research and practice through a place-based approach to knowledge generation.
The work of CivicLAB™ supports the six academic themes, with close alignment to Cultural and Creative Industries. It is an interdisciplinary group that cuts across research and innovation, and teaching and learning.
Create Growth D2 Hub
The Create Growth D2 hub is a collaborative hub of policymakers, creative businesses, public sector representatives and creative space managers, part of the East Midlands Creative Consortium (EMC2).
Its mission is to ignite curiosity, promote engagement, and support the commercial potential of our region's creative sectors. Through this project, the University aims to foster a sense of belonging and ownership in the creative community.
It is one of three dynamic hubs established in September 2023 as part of a nationally funded programme operating at a regional level. De Montfort University, University of Lincoln, and University of Derby lead the hubs, each focusing on their respective partner regions.
What sets us apart is our dedication to creating a lasting impact. Beyond the project's end date, we aspire to leave a legacy that benefits the entire creative landscape.
The Civic Awards
The University launched its Civic Awards ceremony this year, to celebrate individuals and organisations who have made a positive impact on the city and county. As part of the ceremony Catherine Cleary MBE and Dai Larner were awarded Honorary Civic Awards for making outstanding contributions to their community. Catherine was awarded in recognition of her commitment and services to people with eating disorders, while Dai was celebrated for his achievements in driving forward several projects in the High Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands that have helped to transform lives, businesses and amenities.
Other winners included Debbie Kemp, Operations Manager at DHU Healthcare, who was awarded the Civic Hero Award for her commitment to charitable causes.
The Civic Champions scheme was launched this year, recognising 14 members of staff by awarding gold badges in recognition of their work upholding civic culture across the institution.
Meanwhile, five students picked up Civic Student Volunteer accolades for volunteering outside of their studies to assist with community projects.
Six individuals and organisations were also announced as recipients of a newly launched Civic and Community Funding Grant.
Community Sponsorship
As a civic institution, we are committed to the ongoing prosperity of Derby and Derbyshire and to supporting the wellbeing of our communities. Our aim is to make our region the best place to live, work and study.
This year, the University launched its Civic Community Funding Grant to support five different projects from the city and county.
This year’s funding winners were:
- Kakou, to support their annual Social Fuse Festival
- Local Dan Webber for his forthcoming Whispers From the Woods poetry book
- Children’s mental health support service Bridge the Gap
- Hip-hop school Baby People
- Hands on Skin and DACCI for a project exploring West African drum rhythms
Knowledge Exchange Framework
The University maintained a High Engagement score for Public and Community Engagement in the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) results for the second year in a row.
The KEF provides a picture of knowledge exchange activity across seven different 'perspectives' which cover the ways in which universities engage with society and the economy.
The University also continued to receive the top ranking of Very High Engagement for Local Growth & Regeneration and CPD/Graduate Start-Ups, and a High Engagement rating for Working with Business.
At the University of Derby, we either meet or exceed our cluster average in all seven perspectives.
School Tasking
Using the format of the hit TV show, Taskmaster, this outreach project enables young people to learn about interesting aspects of the law through fun and interactive tasks set in the style of Taskmaster. During the in-school sessions, classes were introduced to some of the most interesting areas of law and are given a chance to practise key skills such as teamwork, communication and lateral thinking. The project works with children from a diverse range of backgrounds who meet the widening participation criteria and aims to encourage under-represented pupils to consider higher education.
Throughout the 2023/24 academic year, the University of Derby engaged with 85 Year 5 students.
