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Social responsibility

Social responsibility

Our foundations are firmly placed in Leeds, we are proud of our history and our partnerships. As a civic university our community is at the heart of what we do and what we are, working together we are making the city the best it can be.

Central to the University’s values and purpose is our commitment to having a positive impact on our local, national and global societies. This means improving the lives of all through what we teach, what we research, and how we operate. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) help us to frame and steer our work surrounding social responsibility and you can learn more about our approach to the SDGs.

A civic university

Since the University’s inception, a foundational value has been to provide opportunity for the people of Leeds. That could be through studying here or by implementing the results of our research within the city of Leeds. We have strong connections right across the city and have built the relationships, networks and contacts to inspire sustainable change and social value for our communities.

Through our Positive Impact Partners programme we work with local schools and third sector organisations to build capacity, share insight and positively contribute to our wider community. This work is supported by the Leeds Social Sciences Institute.

The Leeds Living Lab provides staff and students with opportunities to collaborate and co-create with city partners to research and test sustainable solutions, using our city as a test bed. Through Nexus we connect business partners from across the city with our research expertise, talent and facilities.

As part of our response to the Climate Crisis, the University and Leeds City Council co-founded the Leeds Climate Commission to help the city progress towards its carbon reduction targets and a climate resilient future.

If you would like to partner with us, please contact us.

Outreach and engagement

Through our Educational Engagement strategy, we are committed to closing the educational gap in the city and making sure that learning provision is accessible to everyone, regardless of their background.

We encourage our students to be responsible citizens. We provide support and resources to our students and our communities to help them integrate and participate positively in society. Learn more about students in the community.

Through the Student into Schools programme, our students also have the opportunity to volunteer and support local schools across all areas of their curriculum.

Our campus and facilities are open for all and events such as our annual Be Curious research open day encourage the local community to spend time at the University. The annual, family-friendly festival has live events, fun activities, challenges and inspiring evening talks.

If you would like to get involved in any of our outreach and engagement programmes, please contact us.

Equality and Inclusion

We believe that every student, staff and other member of our community should be treated with dignity and mutual respect. We should all be part of a learning and working environment that is free from barriers, regardless of age, caring responsibilities, disabilities, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity status, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

As an international, research-intensive university with a strong commitment to student education we work to create an inclusive environment that attracts, develops and retains the best students and staff from all backgrounds from across the world and supports them in delivering their ambitions, contributing to our institutional strategic aims.

Details of our activities around Equality and Inclusion can be found on our Equality Policy Unit news webpage.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work on social responsibility is linked to all of the SDGs.

Find out more about our impact on the SDGs.