Becoming a Civic University
We're promoting inclusion and enriching economic, social and cultural life in Portsmouth and our region
We're committed to enhancing the local community and region through our research, services, estate, and staff and student collaboration. We're more than the University of Portsmouth. We're the University 'for' Portsmouth.
What is a Civic University?
Our goal as a civic university is for our education and research knowledge and skills to benefit the Portsmouth Harbour region. To that end we work, often with other regional partners, to enrich and promote health, sustainability and inclusion in our region and improve our regional economic, social and cultural life. We're more than the University of Portsmouth. We're the University 'for' Portsmouth.
In 2019, we were one of the first universities to develop a Civic Partnership Agreement with partners in the local community and region to promote inclusion and enrich economic, social and cultural life. The agreement has six initial priorities, which we embedded in our University Strategy as a single priority to become one of the UK's leading civic universities.
If you’re a member of University of Portsmouth staff, you can visit the staff intranet civic university page to submit a civic project idea and let us know about your existing civic activity.
Become one of the UK's leading civic universities
One of our priorities in our University Strategy is to become one of the UK's leading civic universities. To achieve this, we will:
1. Enhance lives through volunteering
Our aim is for students and staff to work with the community to enhance the social, cultural and economic life of the city. And to give students the opportunity to develop the Hallmarks of a Portsmouth Graduate. Discover the ways we're improving our city through volunteering.
Students volunteering in the community
Each year, our students volunteer over 60,000 hours at over 200 local charities, social enterprises, schools, community groups, theatres and not-for-profit organisations. So far they've helped 100 local children learn to read through the 'Pompey Pirates' literacy project.
They also offer free community services in our Accounting Clinic, Legal Clinic and Dental Academy Patient Services, and free business services through the Business Consultancy Project.
In 2019/20, our student volunteers added £493,700 to the local economy.
Helping the community through the pandemic
We've supported local schools, colleges and businesses, helped with vaccinations and supported COVID-19 community testing programmes. One of our undergraduate students is aiming to volunteer 1,500 hours for the NHS during the pandemic and our staff are also giving up their time to help frontline services in the national effort.
Restart a Heart | Learning CPR with Portsmouth FC
In the South East of England, around 5,100 out of hospital cardiac arrests occur each year with survival rates being just 1 in 12 and below the national average. Immediate and appropriate first response can be critical.
Through our partnership with Portsmouth FC, the University is raising awareness of free CPR training in the city via the British Heart Foundation’s RevivR website, training up the Pompey squad along the way. The training takes just 15 minutes and can be done at home with your phone and a cushion. Search 'BHF RevivR' for more.
Today we've come to Portsmouth Football Club to talk about the Restart a Heart project that we're doing at University of Portsmouth.
Using our students as volunteers to come and teach people how to do CPR and to use a defibrillator.
It's our responsibility on a daily basis to try to help the players improve on the football pitch, but also as people and when we have the chance to develop our skill set, I think we should always be open minded enough to take the opportunity.
It's something that could happen and it's something that we should all be prepared for.
Plus, it's a life skill that I think everyone will need because one day it will happen and you will be able to save a life.
We know that it's really important to try and spread the message and teach as many people as we can, because actually it's what makes a difference when somebody has an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
I'd say that I definitely feel a lot more confident now.
If I saw a defibrillator or if I was given a defibrillator now, then I definitely know how to use it.
It's one of those situations that you never want to come across, but it's 100% better having some kind of training than none at all.
It's about giving people confidence and courage to get involved, to start something, because that's what will make the difference.
That's what will increase the survival rates across the south coast.
What an unbelievable skill it is to be able to save somebody else's life.
Life is such a precious commodity, isn't it? So if we can learn this skill that helps to save lives and prolong life, then absolutely we should find the time to be able to educate ourselves and up-skill.
I started volunteering for St John Ambulance when I joined university, as I wanted to be able to give back and help my local community. My volunteering has not only helped me develop as a person but has also provided me with invaluable skills that I can take forward with me and use in my future career.
2. Enrich collaborative opportunities
We aim to benefit Portsmouth's community by collaborating with local businesses, organisations and the public sector, and by offering free support, advice, and services to the local business community.
Working with public sector organisations and businesses
We're helping Fareham Borough Council survey local businesses to influence their Economic Development Strategy. We're helping Hampshire Constabulary be prepared to police during future pandemics. And we're working with local organisations and businesses on the action group 'Shaping Portsmouth's Future Together' to help the city's economy recover from the pandemic.
Providing services to local businesses
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 Low Carbon Solent for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to become more sustainable.
Whether it's online support through webinars, volunteering, or surveying our community to plan for the future, we're invested in Portsmouth and the local business community, and we're planning a prosperous future together.
3. Promote 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.
Partnering with Portsmouth Football Club to improve and promote our city
We've partnered with the Club to improve and promote our city, increase local participation in higher education, and provide work experience for our students.
Transforming Portsmouth into a global sustainability showcase
In response to the climate emergency, we're working to improve our sustainability and become a climate positive university by 2030. Sustainability will guide every aspect of our operations, from development of our campus and transportation, to sustainable corporate systems and procedures.
Through the Revolution Plastics initiative, we're working with local and international partners to find innovative solutions to the plastics crisis and transform Portsmouth into a global showcase for a sustainable future.
We've also joined local residents on the Portsmouth Climate Action Board to help the city become carbon neutral by 2030.
If the Portsmouth community can revolutionise the use of plastics as part of a larger sustainability platform, any community in the world can. We see this as a pilot programme for the planet…an incubator for similar programmes in other cities, communities and countries.
4. Drive inclusiveness and opportunities for all
We're constantly striving to promote diversity and inclusiveness. We're a Stonewall Diversity Champion and work with groups including Working Families, Time to Change, Mindful Employer, AccessAble and Disability Confident. We're also members of two Higher Education lead charters, Athena SWAN and the Race Equality Charter, which drive gender and race equality.
Find out more about our equality and diversity work.
Improving access to education
We're improving access to education by supporting children in care and care leavers, Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, military service children in Portsmouth and refugees and asylum seekers by becoming a University of Sanctuary.
Our success in promoting widening participation, social mobility and diversity is reflected in our student profile. Our full-time undergraduate population includes a high proportion of students from state schools (96%), Black, Asian & minority ethnic (BAME) students (29%), students from low-income households (30%) and students from low-participation neighbourhoods (30%).
Supporting Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students
As a member of the Race Equality Charter, we're dedicated to supporting our diverse university community through events and workshops, partnerships with like-minded organisations and networks, our scholarship and support fund for Black students, and by sharing resources for wider education in race equality.
Supporting LGBTQ+ staff and students
We're creating an inclusive workplace for all our LGBTQ+ staff and extending the same values to our students. We also sponsor Portsmouth Pride and the annual LGBTQ+ Film Festival run by Portsmouth Film Society.
We attract diverse local, national and international students who trust us to sharpen their knowledge and skills for a brighter future. Their diversity of thought, values and traditions brings a richer curriculum across our campus and contributes to the economic success of our city. We reap these benefits by creating places where people feel safe and confident to perform to their best.
Related news
Portsmouth FC Scholarship gets first recipient
The initiative – a result of the partnership between the University of Portsmouth and the football club – offered £9,000 to a student who is either the first member of their family to progress to higher education or has a household income of under £25,000.
Our economic and societal impact is ranked among the best in the UK
Read about our improvements and continued strong national performance in the Knowledge Exchange Framework.
