Cardiff University launches ambitious new strategy
10 January 2018
Cardiff University has launched its five-year strategy with a vision to cement its place as one of the top 100 universities in the world and a commitment to improve the health, wealth and wellbeing of the people of Wales.
The Way Forward 2018-2023 is an ambitious roadmap setting out the University's direction of travel for the next five years.
The strategy includes a renewed focus on the University’s civic mission and a goal to work with colleges, educational partners and all schools in Wales to improve the nation’s educational attainment.
The University already has a strong track record in this area. Through its Framework for School Engagement, the University has worked with 763 teachers and 3,600 school children on 177 different projects designed to champion new ways of working at both primary and secondary school level and increase levels of motivation among young people.
The new strategy will build on this success, and see the University work in other areas as part of its civic mission, including promoting and celebrating the Welsh language, improving public health outcomes, and supporting the creation of 1,000 high-value jobs in the Welsh economy.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Colin Riordan said: "We are proud to be a Welsh university and, now more than ever in the post-Brexit landscape, we must demonstrate our relevance to the communities and people of Wales.
“Our new strategy is ambitious, bold and responsive to that new environment. We will use our areas of expertise – particularly in education and research – to benefit communities around Cardiff, Wales and further afield, improving health, wealth and wellbeing.
“Through our commitment to our civic mission, we will support teachers and engage with those excluded from education or employment and work with further education colleges and all schools in Wales to support improvements in attainment..."
Alongside civic mission, the University will focus efforts around research, international, education and students and innovation.
Other key ambitions by 2023 are:
- To improve the University’s standing as one of the world’s top 100 universities and the top 20 in the UK
- Work placements, over time, for all of our undergraduate students as part of their studies
- To further internationalise the University, growing our staff and student international community and ensuring more of our students spend time abroad during their studies
- A focus on the environment, phasing out the University community's use of single-use plastic.
Professor Riordan added: “The Way Forward 2018-2023 will ensure the University continues to deliver world-leading research, provide an outstanding study, life and work experience for students and staff, and build on the University’s flagship engagement projects.”
The Way Forward 2018-2023 follows the previous Way Forward strategy for 2012-2017, which saw the University achieve a place in the top five UK universities in the Research Excellence Framework in 2014, and secure a position in the top 100 universities in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities - Wales’ only university to do so and one of only nine in the UK to feature in the top 100.