Celebrating global progress of the Community Plan 2020–25

The University’s Community Plan 2020–25 ended in October 2025. In its final report, Sarah Anderson, Senior Community Engagement Manager, shares progress made since the Plan’s launch in November 2020 – including where local met global.

Six people smiling at the camera in front of a University of Edinburgh building.
Part of the University's Social Responsibility and Sustainability team.

The Community Plan is the University’s strategy for how it engages with communities in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Borders and Fife. The aim of our engagement is to create positive social impact for these communities.

Since the Plan launched in November 2020, we’ve made progress on all 32 of the Plan’s commitments. Global-local milestones have been:

  • the publication of the University’s Race Review, development of which included robust community engagement
  • the launch of Education Beyond Borders, enhancing University support for refugee scholars.

Global-local progress 2020–25

In 2025, our Review of Race and History was published; a media campaign ensured the Review’s findings were shared in an accessible way with external stakeholders as well as a series of communications for our own staff, students and alumni. The University’s response to Review recommendations is now being developed with support of a new Race Review Response Group.

In 2024, we launched novel support, like postgraduate scholarships for refugees from countries including Palestine and Sudan, with the creation of Edinburgh Beyond Borders. In 2022, we grew our Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara) support for academics seeking to escape discrimination, committing to ten fully funded fellowships for at-risk academic researchers, including support to settle into the city.

Since 2020, the Centre for Open Learning has played a key part in helping New Scots to learn English through its free language provision.

Young people sitting on the ground making art in front of artwork on the wall.
New Scots at the Centre for Open Learning.

Year five highlights

Highlights from the final year of the Plan have included:

  • the University’s reaccreditation as a University of Sanctuary
  • New Scots, aged from 13 to 15 years, exploring art at the new National Saturday Club
  • the University’s Talbot Rice Gallery working with organisations including The Welcoming and Salaam to create opportunities for New Scots to engage with its exhibitions
  • Ukrainian children, young people and their families continuing to have fun with maths through the School of Mathematics’ Maths Circles
  • summer sports programme piloted by University of Edinburgh Sport and civic partners to reduce social isolation and improve health and wellbeing among local displaced communities
  • the exhibition ‘From Sanctuary to Community’, which honoured the journeys of students and staff who have come to the University of Edinburgh after being forcibly displaced from their country of origin.

Our review of progress with delivering our Community plan shows how we’ve worked with our community partners to deliver positive change. The progress shown across all areas of the plan demonstrates our steadfast commitment to being a good and welcoming neighbour for people from all over the world.

Gemma Gourlay Head of Social Impact
Two people looking at a display that says "Celebrating Refugee Week".
The 'From Sanctuary to Community' display launch event in 2025.

Get involved

Volunteering is a key way to support local communities from all over the globe and to connect with the place that is currently your home. Since 2020, 10,810 hours of students’ volunteering time has been recognised through the national Saltire Award and in the last year alone, almost a year of University staff time was spent volunteering with good causes.

With your involvement, even more can be achieved with local communities.

More information

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