This Free event offers an opportunity to explore the possibility of partnering with a university researcher to achieve more than going it alone. 

The Community University Partnership Initiative (CUPI) aims to help broker and kick start new partnerships between community and university partners – because finding an academic to match your interests can be challenging. This event is for community-based business, social enterprise organisations or charities, who are wondering if partnering with a university researcher might help to develop their work further. 

If you are not familiar with community-university partnerships, they bring together two sets of expertise and knowledge to make a difference. Partners decide the focus and the terms so that the benefits are shared and relationships are worthwhile.  

If you’re busy tackling social problems, strengthening communities or improving the environment, you might already have a research interest that you want to pursue. The areas and subjects you could work on are endless - measure effectiveness or social value, business development and market research, work with volunteers and shareholders, understand or widen your client base, and lots lots more.  Finding local solutions with the help of a new community-university partnership could be just the thing – this event offers the chance to think about and explore the options further.

The CUPI Match Event also offers new partnerships that emerge from the event, to bid for ‘kick-start’ funding of £500 - £1000 to get their partnerships off the ground. The funding is to help potential partners work out if and how they might work together and refine their ideas more, by covering some of the costs involved in thinking and planning. Support will also be available to explore ways to fund or develop projects in the future.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided, and travel costs up to £50 can be reimbursed.