![School children taking part in a dance workshop at the community learning festival](https://www.mmu.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/page_header_half/public/2020-10/26731076_63717698%20%281%29.jpg?h=06ac0d8c&itok=vsw5Gk--)
Engaging the public with our research
Working with local communities to make higher education accessible.
Public engagement
Public engagement at Manchester Met
We are proud of our connection to Manchester, and we aim to make a big contribution to life in the city.
Our ambition is to discover knowledge and share it with the world, and to make this happen, we have to be accessible to the public.
As part of our ongoing commitment to public engagement we:
- signed the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) Manifesto for Public Engagement
- committed to the Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research and UK Research and Innovation’s Vision for Public Engagement
- are a member of the United Nation’s (UN) Academic Impact Network, making sure that our engagement is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for the impact of our public engagement with poetry and community languages
Partnership initiatives
We have learned from the experience of working with the community in a number of high-profile partnership initiatives.
Between 2006 and 2008, we were a partner in the award-winning £3.2m Urban Regeneration: Making a Difference project. We led on community engagement and testing modes of delivery across more than 50 innovative university-community partnership projects.
From 2008 to 2012, we were a partner in the £1.2m Manchester Beacon, in collaboration with Manchester’s universities and the Museum of Science and Industry. The Beacon attempted to change the way universities recognise and promote public engagement.
Learning from these projects has enabled us to contribute to the national agenda through interaction with NCCPE and others.
We understand that the design and impact of our research is improved by sustained engagement with the people who will be involved with and affected by it. We believe in responsible research and innovation, and will continue to do everything we can to push the boundaries of what is possible.
![Members of the public viewing exhibits at Seven Thousand Feet](https://www.mmu.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_two_column/public/2020-11/seven%20thousand%20feet.jpg?h=c202b896&itok=5PteTLNz)
Seven thousand feet – and the Fascinating Family
This award-winning exhibition, which bought visual art and science together, was inspired by research showing that every year, in the UK, thousands of lower limb amputations are carried out as a result of complications arising from diabetes.![Mural of the Manchester Bee in Stephenson Square](https://www.mmu.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_two_column/public/2020-11/Manchester%20bee.jpg?h=8826ef48&itok=b_2pFaH0)
ESRC Manchester Festival of Social Science
The annual festival has been running since 2013 and features talks, workshops and screenings celebrating all things social sciences. This year's theme focuses on 'Lifelong Wellbeing' to reflect the 75th anniversary of the NHS.![A poetry reading in the Benzie building at Manchester Met](https://www.mmu.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_two_column/public/2020-10/33720450.jpg?h=3387d114&itok=4CPscM_S)