A proud part of Portsmouth and the Solent region
We’re committed to making a difference for individuals and society. Our mission is rooted in creating, sharing, and applying knowledge that sparks positive change across Portsmouth and the wider Solent region.
Our commitment to local communities
At the University of Portsmouth, our dedication extends beyond education. We’re working every day to enhance our communities’ social, cultural, and economic fabric, collaborating with local partners to create initiatives that benefit everyone.
Together, we aim to support health, sustainability, social inclusion, and the local economy. We’re not just the University of Portsmouth — we’re the University 'for' Portsmouth.
Our efforts focus on three main areas:
- Working with our communities
We’re continuously building two-way collaborations with local groups, organisations, and partners to nurture positive change. These partnerships aim to address local needs and strengthen our collective efforts, with projects spanning education, healthcare, and social support. - Supporting our communities
Our work extends to offering free services that provide direct support, like our Legal Advice Clinic. We're committed to leveraging our expertise to make meaningful contributions to local residents and schools. - Being present in our communities
Each year, staff and students contribute over 140,000 hours to community projects, actively engaging in efforts that help strengthen social bonds and create lasting impact.
Explore our projects and partnerships
Explore the ongoing projects driving positive change across our region. Use the interactive map below to learn more about our collaborations in areas like social impact, health and wellbeing, economic growth, arts and culture, environment, and student volunteering.
Using the interactive map
Explore our diverse range of projects and their impact on the community through our interactive map. Follow these steps to make the most of your experience:
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Filter Projects: Use the filter toggle located at the bottom of the map to select the project category you're most interested in. Our projects are grouped into five categories: Social Impact, Health & Wellbeing, Environment, and Cultural & Arts, Economic Impact and Student Volunteering.
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Learn More: Click on any map pin to discover detailed information about specific projects. This includes a brief description, key contacts, and any relevant links for further information.
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Navigate: Use the zoom controls on the left side of the map. This helps you get a better sense of the geographical spread and scale of our initiatives.
How we impact Portsmouth and the local region
We want to be a big part of positive changes in Portsmouth and our surrounding area, working with existing community projects.
Enhancing lives through volunteering
At the University of Portsmouth, our robust volunteering culture is integral to community development. Annually, students and staff contribute over 140,000 hours to 124 local organisations, significantly enhancing our region's social and cultural fabric. Discover more about our volunteering impact and opportunities here, and how we celebrate our student volunteers at our Student Impact Awards.
Supporting our community
We want to make the most of the University’s expertise and experience to provide our local community relevant services, free of charge where possible. You can learn more about our award winning Legal Clinic here, and ‘Brush Up’ projects here.
Partnering with our community
We want to tackle the challenges of our local community by collaborating with other groups and organisations that share our passion for the region. You can read more here about our multi-academy trust, or the partnership we have with King’s College London Medicine to train doctors in Portsmouth.
Growing local business through collaboration
We collaborate with local businesses, organisations and the public sector by offering free support, advice, and services to the local business community. We offer business services to support and grow local businesses, including our Accountancy Clinic, Accelerating Women's Enterprise (AWE) programme, conference and event space, co-working and office space, free energy efficiency audits and funding through. From net zero plans to product redesigns and business model reboots, we can help make your sustainability ideas happen.
Promoting the city of Portsmouth
Portsmouth has unique strengths and a rich heritage. We want to show the world how great this city is. Through partnership work, we aim to champion shared interests, support economic growth and make the city a destination of choice for people to live, work and visit. We've partnered with Portsmouth Football Club to promote our city, increase local participation in higher education, and provide work experience for our students.
Upcoming events
Our online clinics offer a choice of bookable slots which we hope are convenient for you.
A team of our students will meet you, accompanied by their tutor (a qualified Chartered Accountant), to discuss your requirements. Students will work on the challenge remotely and will meet you one to two weeks after our initial meeting to provide you with a written solution to your query.
The clinic is running during February and March 2026.
All the clinics are led by our second-year Accounting and Finance students and supervised by a qualified accountant, who is a specialist in accounting and taxation.
Further queries can be sent to accounting@port.ac.uk.
Once booked, we will send you a T link.
Who are our clinics for?
The Accounting and Taxation clinics are open to a wide range of people and organisations.
We can support:
- Students, including those on self-employed placement years
- Alumni and staff running their own businesses (or considering starting a business)
- Innovation Connect Members, Help-to Grow and Skills Bootcamp (current participants and alumni)
- Non-profits, small and micro businesses, and freelancers in PO1- PO6 and PO33 (Portsmouth and Ryde)
If you are outside these catchment areas, please email accounting@port.ac.uk and we will endeavour to signpost you to alternative support.
Public Lecture: Find out about the realities and media influences surrounding Chernobyl.
More info coming soon
Join us for a fascinating journey through ancient skies, mythology, and science.
More info coming soon.
Public Lecture: Dive into the world of pop culture and the creative industries in Portsmouth.
More info coming soon.
Collaborate with us
If you're brimming with ideas for civic projects or eager to share the impactful activities you're already championing, we encourage you to send us an email. Every contribution you make is a an essential part of the change we're creating as a community.
Let us know about your ongoing civic work as a current member of staff, student, or another part of the University community, or reach out to us with a new project idea.
And if you're not officially part of our community yet but are drawn to civic collaboration, we warmly welcome your interest. Whether you're a part of our existing University community or you're looking to working with us for the first time, your unique perspective and active involvement will help us develop our future.
If you're also interested in keeping up to date on the civic networking events, please email sue.knight@port.ac.uk.
Civic news and projects
University of Portsmouth hosts major Government announcement to boost student skills for defence careers
Minister launches £80 million investment in defence education at Portsmouth in recognition of University's engineering excellence and strong defence sector links
University of Portsmouth steps closer to opening first Dental School in the South-East
The University has been granted Dental Authority Status (DAS) by the government, to help tackle the region's critical dentist shortage.
University backs Portsmouth's UK City of Culture 2029 bid
The University of Portsmouth is proud to announce its active engagement in Portsmouth's bid for UK City of Culture 2029.
Students from first branch medical degree in the South begin clinical placements on Isle of Wight
Six students from the South of England's first branch medical degree have begun clinical placements in Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
University of Portsmouth’s economic and societal impact ranked highly in national assessment
The University’s impact on business and communities is among the best in the country, according to Research England’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF).
University of Portsmouth and Mary Rose Trust launch major project to preserve decades of excavation footage of iconic Tudor warship
A significant milestone has been reached in the partnership between the University of Portsmouth and The Mary Rose Trust, with the launch of an ambitious project to digitise more than 40 years of archival video footage documenting the iconic Tudor warship and its excavation.
