Community and Regional Engagement

Being in the ‘service of others’ is at the core of the foundational purpose of the University of Aberdeen and as part of our 20-year strategy, Aberdeen 2040, we are committed to listening to and working with local and regional stakeholder communities to build partnerships for the benefit of the region.

The Vice Principal for Regional Engagement has the responsibility of developing and implementing a strategy for the University to make a comprehensive and effective contribution to the economic, social and cultural activity of the region. This includes identification of new regional development opportunities and collaborations, as well as strategic partnerships.

Public Affairs serve as a central contact point for staff regarding the University’s regional engagement and partnership initiatives. By raising awareness of these activities, colleagues are empowered to collaborate more effectively in their community and civic engagement as well as amplify our regional impact.

Staff can sign-up to receive our monthly What's On E-zine here. For general enquiries, please email Public Affairs.

Regional Partnerships

NHS Grampian

The Foresterhill Health Campus provides high-quality health and wellbeing related education and research and is jointly owned by the University and NHS Grampian.

The site covers over 125 acres and is home to one of Europe's largest clinical complexes, including Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the Royal Aberdeen Children's and Maternity Hospitals.

Working closely alongside our NHS Grampian colleagues, the Foresterhill site includes our Medical and Dental Schools, the Rowett Institute, Suttie Centre, Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, and the Institutes of Applied Health Sciences (IAHS) and Medical Sciences (IMS).

Aberdeen City Council

The University and Aberdeen City Council work closely across a number of areas, most notably as part of Community Planning Aberdeen and the public sector Multi-Agency Transformation Group (MATMG).

Through the Community Planning Aberdeen (CPA) Partnership the University works with other public, private and third-sector organisations to improve outcomes for people living across Aberdeen City, especially those most in need. The Community Planning Partnership supports the delivery of the Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP); further information about ongoing projects and other initiatives is available on the CPA website.

The University actively supports delivery of the LOIP through its participation in both the Community Planning Aberdeen Board and Management Group, and participation by members of staff in several of the Local Outcome Improvement groups. These groups, which include those listed below, facilitate effective joint working across the CPA partners and with communities to ensure the delivery of the LOIP:

Aberdeen Community Football Trust

The University and Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT) work together in communities throughout the north-east of Scotland, providing support and input to the Trust’s successful school and community engagement programme to encourage pupils to consider coming to university.

Aberdeen Football Club

Our partnership with Aberdeen FC brings a range of benefits including advertising in Match Day Programmes, on LED boards during SPFL matches, and on the Club’s website. Additionally, we receive several match day tickets which are offered to staff and students free of charge.

Aberdeen Tertiary Education Liaison Group

Regular meetings take place between the University and the other higher and further education providers in the city with Council leadership via the Aberdeen Tertiary Education Liaison Group. This meets once a quarter to discuss a range of matters including student numbers, public transport, sustainability issues, and how best to promote the city as a student destination.

Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV)

The University, Aberdeen City Council and Sport Scotland are partners in the Aberdeen Sports Village, a premier community sports and leisure facility situated across from our historic King’s College campus.

ASV offers a wide variety of sporting facilities, along with meeting rooms and cafes, which serve both university staff, students and alumni as well as the public and wider community.

Culture Aberdeen

The University is a member of Culture Aberdeen, a collaborative network of organisations in Aberdeen supported by Aberdeen City Council and is represented on the Executive Committee. This partnership works to implement a shared vision of enhancing the city’s vibrant cultural scene, making it more accessible and engaging for all. We support the work of Culture Aberdeen in a range of ways, including through our own cultural, linguistic and music events and museums as well as through partnerships such as the WayWORD Festival and Explorathon.

NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration Aberdeen

The Aberdeen Health Determinants Research Collaboration (AHDRC) is an NIHR-funded research initiative aimed at developing a research-active culture within Aberdeen City Council and Community Planning Aberdeen.

The collaboration is led by Aberdeen City Council in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, NHS Grampian, and Robert Gordon University.

Old Aberdeen Library

The University collaborates with Aberdeen City Council to host a public library service called the Old Aberdeen Library on the ground floor of the Sir Duncan Rice Library. This restored a City council lending library to the Old Aberdeen (and surrounding) area for the first time since the 1990s. We continue to work in partnership with them to manage and develop the service.

Opportunity North East (ONE)

Opportunity North East is a private sector-led economic development organisation that aims to diversify and strengthen the regional economy in areas such as life sciences, digital technology, tourism, and food, drink and agriculture.

The University has a seat as a Director on the ONE Main Board and has representatives on several of its sector boards. The University partnered with ONE and NHS Grampian to deliver the ONE BioHub on the Foresterhill campus.

Regional Economic Partnerships

As a major employer in the region and a destination for thousands of students annually, the University makes a meaningful contribution to the economy of the north-east of Scotland. Through our knowledge exchange and commercialisation activities, we work with existing businesses, support our researchers to form new spin-out companies, and promote the growth of new student and graduate startup businesses. The University also plays an important role in the provision of graduates for the regional workforce, and through its support for a range of upskilling and reskilling activities; among these is our partnership with ETZ Ltd, Skills Development Scotland, Robert Gordon University and NESCol to establish the National Energy Skills Accelerator (NESA).

The University is a member of the North East Scotland Regional Economic Partnership (REP), a collaboration between local government (Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire), the private sector, education and skills providers, enterprise and skills agencies and the third sector, focussed on delivery of the Regional Economic Strategy.

We are an important delivery partner for aspects of the Aberdeen City Region Deal (ACRD) - a significant multi-year investment by the UK and Scottish governments in the region. The ACRD supports future economic development of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire focusing on diversification of the economy into new areas of activity and markets through four programme areas of: Innovation, Internationalisation, Inclusive Economic Growth, and Investment in Infrastructure.

We are also a key partner in the North East Scotland Investment Zone (NESIZ) which is developing a range of interventions to support the region’s Green Energy and Digital sectors.