Engagement and partnership
By enhancing the public engagement, knowledge exchange and innovation culture of the University, we aim to ensure that our research and education benefit wider publics in the Oxford region, across the UK and globally. To this end we will work in partnership with public, private, voluntary and commercial organisations, and our alumni.
COMMITMENT 1
To work with partners to create a world-class regional innovation ecosystem
Enterprise and innovation are fundamental to Oxford’s continuing research success and to its positive impact on society. They position the University and the region as a place of opportunity which will attract the best researchers and students from around the world.
Working with our Local Enterprise Partnership, local councils, national government, Harwell and Culham science campuses, Oxford Sciences Innovation, and local and global business, we will foster an environment which nurtures social and commercial entrepreneurs.
We will invest in our capacity to increase collaborative research activity with business, industry and other external organisations, and provide enhanced support for spinouts and start-ups derived from our research through the work of Oxford University Innovation. We will increase co-location and co-working with businesses alongside our academic research (establishing innovation centres) and will actively engage in the formation of innovation districts.
COMMITMENT 2
To build a stronger and more constructive relationship with our local and regional community
We believe that it is vitally important that the University benefits local citizens. We will aim to increase the scale of innovation and translation in the medical and health sciences, including with our local NHS partners. We will continue to provide gateways for public engagement with the research and teaching of the University via exhibitions, public education, schools and outreach programmes, including through the University Botanic Garden and Arboretum, Museums and Libraries, and the Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities.
We are committed to working in partnership to increase our cultural, societal and economic impact at both local and regional levels. We will reach out to non-traditional learners through the work of our Department for Continuing Education offering flexible and blended (digital and traditional) learning.
COMMITMENT 3
To engage with the public and policy makers to shape our research and education and to encourage the widest possible use of our research findings and expertise
Working in partnership with government, business, cultural organisations and others, we will look to inform the public and public policy through our research findings. We will also shape our research agenda, in part, through focusing attention on the issues of greatest social importance.
We believe that public engagement enriches research and society and, to that end, are committed to enabling our researchers to inspire, consult and collaborate with the public. We seek to embed high-quality and innovative public engagement as an integral part of our research culture and practice.
We will be an active partner in the development of open scholarship, providing the tools necessary for researchers to publish and share outputs from their research and to support national and international collaboration. Through continuing digital investment the University will reach global audiences and communities.
Oxford University Press will further the University‘s objectives of excellence in research, scholarship and education by publishing worldwide in the three intersecting markets of research, education and the learning of English.
COMMITMENT 4
Through our international engagement the University will aim to maximise the global social, cultural and economic benefit derived from our research and scholarship
Our international engagement will maintain and enhance strong institutional links across the globe, including those with the European Union, emerging economies and key partners, across the full spectrum of our research and scholarly activity. We will maintain our commitment to in-depth study of the world’s societies and cultures, supported by the outstanding breadth of our expertise in languages, ancient and modern. We will work to preserve and increase access to funding and networks to undertake our research and collaborate with suitable partners wherever they may be located, enabling both small- and large-scale research collaborations. We will seek to improve mobility opportunities for students, support the role of our staff and students in an interconnected world and raise the profile of our research and teaching internationally.
ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP PRIORITIES
19. Expansion of the innovation districts in and around Oxford, including at Begbroke Science Park and Osney Mead.
20. Continued investment in digital tools and infrastructure to be a leader in open scholarship and support open access to collections and research data outputs.
21. Continue to improve the breadth and depth of public engagement through events and programmes delivered through multiple mechanisms, including the academic divisions and the Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM).
22. Expand strategic international research collaborations.
23. Support and expand international mobility opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students including non-term-time internships and on-course opportunities to study, undertake research or gain work experience abroad.
24. Inform, empower and mobilise alumni to become more knowledgeable and involved in support of the wider University.