Policy on Civic Engagement in HEIs
Civic and Community Engagement is an integral part of the Irish higher education policy landscape.
The National Strategy for Higher Education, 2030 refers to civic and community engagement as one of the “three core roles of higher education”.
The Irish Higher Education Authority System Performance Framework, a tool support higher education institutions to capture activity for system performance funding, includes civic and community engagement in two of its six key system objectives:
Objective 2: Creating rich opportunities for national and international engagement which enhances the learning environment and delivers a strong bridge to enterprise and the wider community.
Objective 3: Excellent research, development and innovation that has relevance, growing engagement with external partners and impact for the economy and society and strengthens our standing to become an Innovation Leader in Europe.
The detailed metrics which form the basis for the higher education System Performance Compacts with the higher education institutions, 14 metrics specifically relate to civic and community engagement activity across research, teaching and learning.
In addition, On June 16, 2014, leaders of all Irish Universities; and Institutes of Technology from across Ireland came together in Dublin Castle to sign the Campus Engage Charter for Civic and Community Engagement. The signing of the Charter indicated a willingness to enhance further the links between higher education and society. Subsequently, the institutions have worked collaboratively to agree a Framework to measure civic and community engagement across the sector, which articulate and elaborate the ambitions of the Charter.
