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Our shared priorities

Our shared priorities

Our Civic University Agreement focuses on six core, interconnected themes. These reflect both local needs and the collective strengths of our partnership.

We are working to boost productivity, innovation and investment across Kirklees, contributing to a thriving and inclusive economy.

Strategic context

Desired impact and outcomes

  • Improved transport connectivity across Kirklees and surrounding areas, increasing opportunities for work, living and study
  • Increased innovation, particularly linked to science, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), is driving more business research and development (R&D), enterprise creation and manufacturing/engineering
  • Productivity improvements by addressing wider determinants, including high levels of sickness absence in the workforce, transport infrastructure and internet access
  • Attracting greater investment, leading to higher skill levels and higher-paid jobs, with inclusive employment pathways
  • Increased graduate retention, including start-ups and freelancers

Areas of joint activity

  • TransPennine Upgrade and Penistone line improvements
  • Investment Zone – joint innovation and incubation programmes, Industrial PhDs, National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC)
  • The University’s Maker Space and enterprise support for students and graduates
  • Raising business ambition, including the Kirklees Top 100 Companies
  • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
  • Foundation degrees for local residents

Opportunities for future collaboration

  • Exploitation of technology and AI capabilities to address health and social care challenges
  • Addressing productivity challenges for the manufacturing and engineering sector
  • Exploiting links to the National Physical Laboratory based at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre (3M BIC)

We are committed to improving local environments and supporting vibrant, attractive communities where people want to live, work and study.

Strategic context

Desired impact and outcomes

  • Raising standards of the built environment, animating Our Cultural Heart
  • Improved student residential experience
  • Attraction of investment and growth opportunities, including:
    • Business and voluntary sector expansion
    • New enterprises and freelance opportunities
    • Job creation, including increased skill levels across Kirklees
  • Prevention of ill health, poverty and inequality via healthy placemaking policies and developments

Areas of joint activity

Opportunities for future collaboration

  • Creative Health Hub
  • Leveraging the University’s world-leading strength in music
  • Y-PERN research capacity
  • Town centre vibrancy, safety and creative economy projects
  • Co-location opportunities on NHIC, e.g. ambulance station

We’re collaborating with health and care partners to improve population wellbeing and support innovation in prevention, treatment and workforce development.

Strategic context

Desired impact and outcomes

  • National Health Innovation Campus is fully established with higher-skilled jobs and business, and research partnerships
  • Improved social care and mental health support, including a focus on young people and workforce development
  • Increased health and well-being of the local population
  • Embrace primary, secondary and tertiary health prevention – enhance patient flow through innovation

Areas of joint activity

  • Third sector partnerships and community engagement, including clinics and health checks
  • AI – development of diagnostic and therapeutic simulation software
  • Workforce development, training and Continued Professional Development (CPD)
  • Accelerator and trailblazer programmes for economically inactive people
  • Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust Innovation Space at Pinderfields Hospital
  • Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Creative Minds and joint appointments with the South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust (SWYFT)
  • Paramedic student support, work placements and employment opportunities at Yorkshire
  • Ambulance Service
  • Joint research activity with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service
  • Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust's development of a Community Diagnostic Centre within the National Health Innovation Campus

Opportunities for future collaboration

  • A collaborative ‘Big Data’ research programme, including potentially developing a Research Observatory to better understand healthcare needs, health inequalities and remote service provision for the Kirklees and wider population – convert data to insight
  • Joint research into Supply Chains and Supply Chain Development, particularly for Micro Businesses and SMEs
  • New University of Huddersfield dental courses to address shortages
  • Locala Princess Royal developments and SWYFT Recovery College developments
  • Development of prototype for ‘future ambulance and ambulance station’
  • Extended research programme with local NHS partners
  • Co-location and integration of patient care services on NHIC

We’re helping to strengthen community cohesion, reduce inequality and ensure that the civic role of the University supports real social value. 

Strategic context

Desired impact and outcomes

  • Reduce inequalities, including health inequalities, improve links between health and economic inactivity and workforce wellbeing, including healthy workplaces 
  • Improved early years education and increased opportunities for jobs and skills for local residents 
  • Reduction in violence, including knife crime and domestic violence 
  • Leverage Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations to drive more efficient local spend  

Areas of joint activity

  • Anchor institution benefits – local employment and the Mayoral Fair Work Charter 
  • Local purchasing power driving social value and use of local suppliers, e.g. in Estates investment 
  • Public Lecture series and citizen science programmes 
  • Community health outreach programmes e.g. Get Set Goal! 
  • West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership - Power of Communities programme 
  • University of Huddersfield Police Doctoral College 
  • Support for care leavers and social work programmes 
  • Student projects with the public and third sector helping address social challenges 
  • Health and well-being engagement activities with students 

Opportunities for future collaboration

  • Increasing permeable public spaces and access to facilities. Research contribution to emergent policy development, including: 
    • Violence and knife crime 
    • Economic inactivity and health 
    • Family hubs, including the use of technology 
  • Current Living in Kirklees (CLIK) survey
  • Civic role of the alumni community 
  • Schools’ uptake of Holocaust Centre North visits 
  • Links with the new police HQ and the potential Yorkshire Ambulance Service call centre spoke 
  • Expand the training of Community First Responders with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service 
  • Increase ‘volunteer to career’ opportunities, including Community First Responder with the student population and local communities 

We aim to build an agile and inclusive skills system that empowers people at all life stages and supports regional growth sectors. 

Strategic context

Desired impact and outcomes

  • Enhanced health skills ensure that the health and care system has the necessary skills to meet the demands of the community. 
  • Enhanced digital skills to strengthen digital skills training for all, enabling businesses to adopt new technologies and improve productivity. 
  • Improved economic participation to address economic inactivity linked to poor health. This will improve participation rates in the Kirklees labour market, boosting productivity and health/wellbeing outcomes, reducing deprivation 

Areas of joint activity

Opportunities for future collaboration

  • ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper and related employment support programmes 
  • Further NHIC and Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor development 
  • Developing AI technology creating new skills requirements and opportunities 
  • Kirklees Employment and Skills Plan refresh  
  • Research linked to future of work and related course offer (post AI)  
  • More granular skills gap mapping and collaboration to address, e.g. graduate scheme, project management and leadership/management 
  • Delivering teaching in the National Health Innovation Campus for NHS-employed staff 

We are working together toward a greener, climate-resilient region through research, innovation and practical action. 

Strategic context

Desired impact and outcomes

  • Reduce carbon emissions, contributions to air pollution and increase the proportion of zero carbon energy we consume 
  • Reduce waste generation and improve our recycling rates 
  • Empowering people to be active contributors 

Areas of joint activity

  • Sharing of best practice on Estates Development – design, energy efficiency, energy procurement, all-electric campus 
  • Woodland Replanting - 4000 Trees planted by University volunteers per season 
  • Upland regeneration, including Sphagnum Moss  
  • Hub for circularity research in waste, materials and energy 

Opportunities for future collaboration

  • Canal basin regeneration and re-wilding 
  • Potential research observatory 
  • Further work on recycling technology, e.g. textiles, medical waste 
  • Potential research into the automation of the waste recycling industry 
  • Creating volunteering opportunities - joint anchor initiatives 
  • Collaboration on active travel policies by anchor employers 

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