Community and partners

Our partnerships create opportunities for students and staff to apply their knowledge to real-world issues while supporting community-led action on climate, nature, health, wellbeing and social justice

Find out more about our missions with Leeds, Yorkshire and the North through the Civic Exchange

Through our Positive Impact Partners programme, students and staff work alongside community organisations to address locally identified sustainability challenges. Projects are shaped by partner priorities and provide practical benefits for communities while giving students valuable experience of collaborative problem-solving and community engagement.  

Find out more about our current and past projects, as well as to access the Positive Impact Partners.

The City Living Labs programme funds collaborative projects through the University’s Climate Plan Supporting a Net Zero City principle, helping to strengthen the University’s commitment to civic engagement. By bringing together researchers, communities, public bodies and local organisations, the projects use Leeds as a living laboratory to test new approaches to sustainability challenges, generating practical learning that supports climate action, community wellbeing and a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient city. 

The University is proud to support the Leeds Climate Commission, an independent advisory body that brings together organisations and leaders from the public, private and third sectors to accelerate climate and nature action across the city. The Commission works to support progress towards net zero, climate resilience, nature recovery and a just transition. 

Through staff expertise, research collaboration and civic partnerships, the University contributes to the work of Leeds Climate Commission and wider climate commission networks, helping to connect evidence, policy and action across the region.  

We build positive, thriving communities by supporting students to understand their role as residents and the valuable contribution they can make to neighbourhood life. Working in partnership with local communities and organisations, we promote positive relationships, volunteering, environmental action, and initiatives that enhance community wellbeing and shared spaces.