Global and civic engagement
Learn how we collaborate with local and global partners and make a positive social and environmental impact.
Driving positive change
Our staff and students work with local and global partners to drive positive change. This happens as a result of the research we conduct and the many ways in which our staff and students engage as global citizens.
We have a deep commitment to ensuring our expertise has both local and global impact. This builds on a wealth of connections and relationships with influential members of local and national governments, international organisations, campaigning NGOs, community, creative and cultural organisations, industry and think tanks.
In turn, these partnerships shape our understanding of the world and our approach to teaching and research.
Local and global partnerships
The University has established productive partnerships with organisations including: local authorities, the Sussex Community Development Association, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, Surfers Against Sewage, City of Sanctuary, Sussex Bay, Knepp, Shoreham Port and BIACO.
We work closely with cultural organisations such as Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, Brighton and Hove Museums (Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust), Cinecity, Marlborough Productions, Ditchling Museum and Towner Eastbourne, and present our research in the community, including at Lewes STEM festival, Soapbox Science and Sussex Universe events.
The University also works with global partners and has established an extensive international network to facilitate staff and student mobility through international teaching programmes and research collaborations.
Fostering global citizenship
We equip students to be engaged and effective global citizens in a changing world by embedding our core themes of environmental sustainability, human flourishing and digital and data futures into our curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
Engaging with the local community
Students can make a positive impact through courses and modules connected to external organisations, which provide work experience, consultancy, placements and engagement activities.
There is also a wealth of opportunities for such engagement outside of the formal curriculum. Examples include:
- the Sussex Law Clinics, which offer hands-on experience of the legal system
- Sussex Writes, an outreach project that fosters creative exchange to build resilience and possibility
- Career Lab, which supports the development of skills, experience, connections and confidence
- Startup Sussex, a competition to support entrepreneurial initiatives
- the Festival of Ideas, a dynamic programme of events, talks and activities.
Students also make a significant contribution to life on campus, Brighton and beyond through a range of volunteering opportunities as part of the Spirit of Sussex Award.