Community Engagement

University of Galway is committed to working with its communities for the development of positive impact on people’s lives.  The University of Galway Strategy 2020-2025: Shared Vison, Shaped by Values sets out our mission - 'University of Galway is for the public good. By engaging in our region, locally, nationally and across the world, we are committed to delivering sustainable societal change. We are here for our society and our planet'.

The University of Galway works closely with various non-governmental organisations to advance the SDGs. Examples include, research collaborations, community based projects, student engagement and volunteering initiatives, awareness campaigns,  advocacy, the development of educational resources and the creation of pathways to exchange knowledge with the community.

The Community Knowledge Initiative fosters sustainability community-university partnerships through core academic activities, including teaching, research and management,  that aim to promote greater civic engagement among students and staff.

ALIVE is the University of Galway’s dedicated programme to connect students with volunteering opportunities. ALIVE harness, support and reward students’ voluntary
activity across the university campus, Galway city, and wider communities to develop their own practical skills and civic awareness. From developing skills such as
teamwork, leadership, communication, and problem solving to instilling a sense of social responsibility and community engagement, the programme offers many
benefits to students.  For example, during academic year 2023/24,  408 University of Galway students were awarded the President’s Award for Volunteering. Volunteering activities ranged from supporting University of Galway clubs and societies, fundraising for local community groups (for example, Galway Simon Community and Coldvember) and contributing to the work of local community organisations (for example, Macnas, Just 3, Enable Ireland, and Jigsaw Galway). Community partners included Children in Hospital Ireland, Galway Youth Climate Assembly, COPE Galway, and Galway Rape Crisis Centre, among many others.

Already, over 14,000 students take part in service learning each academic year through their participation with over 500 community partners. Service learning encourages students to learn about issues vital to society and instil in students a sense of social responsibility and civic awareness. Examples of our service learning case studies with our community partners and NGO's are detailed here.

University of Galway partners with NGOs to progress the SDGs through research programmes. For example, University of Galway is a founding member of the Irish Forum for International Agricultural Development (IFIAD). Working with NGO's like Trocaire, Concern Worldwide, Self Help Africa and Irish Aid; the network offers University of Galway an opportunity to work with NGOs to expand its research to tackle global issues like food security and sustainable agriculture. Network members collaborate to strengthen the research-policy-practice interface to agriculture-driven poverty reduction in developing countries. For further information about this NGO centred research collaboration, see 'Sharing Knowledge' and 'Enhancing Research' under the heading Our Approach here 

The role of EPIC is to facilitate Community-Engaged Research and Knowledge exchange between University of Galway and the wider community.