Directors' Festive Message
As we approach the end of the year, we thought we would borrow from one of the stories that is often told around this time and imagine the NCCPE Christmases past, present and yet to come.
Christmases Past
Over 10 years ago we were launching the results of our first Engage Futures consultation. Involving over 100 people from inside and outside of the HE sector, we collectively reimagined the futures of universities, developing five themes of what might change by 2025. Some of our imagining is now a reality – with the digital offer from universities being enhanced and formalised, research centres that are co-hosted with third sector organisations and businesses; and buildings shared with communities. However, some of the visions are still ‘work in progress’, such as universities being more porous places.
In 2012 the first REF was getting off the ground, representing a significant change from the Research Assessment Exercise, which it replaced. ‘Impact’ was on the agenda for the first time, and we were busy trying to ensure that the guidance recognised the significant contribution of public engagement to engaged and impactful research. Then 2014 saw us celebrating the winners of our first Engage competition - you can check out our overall winner's story in our recent blog.
Christmases Present
As we approach the end of 2024, we are living through difficult changes and significant turbulence. You will have heard us talk about some of the key shifts that are causing us to reorientate, and reconsider the role of universities in society: the current financial uncertainty, diminishing political support, and lukewarm public attitudes. There does not appear to be any clear pathway forward, other than retrenchment and downscaling.
But there are glimmers of hope – the letter from the Secretary of State suggesting that universities’ role in society is of critical importance; UKRI investments in supporting community-engaged research; MEDRs support for civic mission; the opportunities that REF 2029 offers to celebrate and confirm the central role of public engagement, to name but a few.
On this cusp of the year, we have enjoyed meeting with you at Engage 2024, where we heard from a range of people doing inspiring work across the UK and internationally. We welcomed our first Engage Fellows, who are tackling challenges across the sector, and laying the foundations for the next recruitment. 40 graduates from our Engage Academy are leading effective work in their institutions, and 40 new Academicians are signed up to start their journey in 2025.
We are loving our partnerships with both the NCIA and LPIP programmes, building powerful connections between public and civic engagement. Our Inclusion Advisory Group members are providing us with hugely constructive challenge as we strive to challenge inequity in, through, and by the work we do. Our PEP network serves as a wonderful source of collegiality and collective imagination. Research for All goes from strength to strength as a source of engaged scholarship; and we are laying the foundations for change with our new Engaged Futures initiative.
Christmases Yet to Come
As we approach 2025, we are resolutely focused on reimaging the future of the university, and plotting a radical and transformative vision for the future of engaged practice. Engaged Futures is focusing on 2045 to help us step outside the day-to-day pressures which are bearing down so heavily on us all, and on our collaborators.
We want to explore what an inclusive knowledge landscape could look like, and the roles university-type organisations might play in it. Many of you have already joined up as Catalysts, and we are looking forward to working with you to establish principled and purposeful collective actions to build a better future for Higher Education.
It has never been more important to collaborate in new and interesting ways, and to consider how we can align our activity across the sector to lead to long-term systemic change. By Christmas 2025 we will have collectively reimagined the future of higher education, and developed clear actions to help us get there.
As the year comes to an end we wanted to extend our thanks to you for everything you have done to contribute to building a more engaged and inclusive HE sector – to wish you a wonderful relaxing break – and to invite you to join us in 2025 for what promises to be an amazing and challenging adventure.
NCCPE Co-directors, Sophie Duncan and Paul Manners
