Rooted in Birmingham
Reaching Beyond
We will be an exemplar anchor institution.
The demands on higher education are multiplying. Universities need to respond quickly to meet society's needs; through education, research, creativity, innovation and enterprise. Their missions need to be adapted to reflect the needs of communities.
Our communities within Birmingham and the region have much to be proud of; yet there remains much that can be improved. Our mission? Remain central to, and a catalyst for, this change.
Our strategy has three pillars at its core. It builds on existing institutional strengths and the needs of our communities. It articulates how we will be outstanding at what we seek to do. It charts a clear path forward, and enables us to make the necessary tough choices.
It is a strategy for the development of a truly great anchor institution - one that take risks to make a difference. It will position us to play our part in fulfilling the potential that we see around us.
Professor David Mba
Vice Chancellor
Anita Bhalla
Chair of the Board of Governors
Vision and mission
Vision
To be an exemplar anchor institution.
Mission
To create and share knowledge for a better and more inclusive society.
Our Mission
We will create and share knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We'll change lives with inspiring, accessible, and inclusive practice-based teaching, and lead the way in promoting social mobility and community development. Our intention is to become the top university in the Midlands for boosting regional growth, innovation, and skills. And our outstanding research will solve problems and effect societal change.
Our Strategy recognises the need for a continued focus on innovation, transformation, and sustainable investment to deliver high-quality teaching, learning, research and enterprise engagement to meet ever-changing societal needs. Above all, it reflects our ambition to make a difference; differentiated as a university rising to real-world challenges through our achievements.
- Being recognised for outstanding teaching and offering programmes, providing students with the necessary practical skills and knowledge.
- Becoming the largest provider of skilled graduates in the region.
- Engaging with our city and region with professionalism and quality, linking both to the world beyond.
- Ensuring our student body remains diverse and inclusive.
- Embracing our role as a civic and anchor institution.
The Three Pillars
Develop talent for tomorrow
We will equip and empower tomorrow's workforce with a personalised, collaborative education focused on innovation, inclusion and industry excellence.
Create knowledge for good
We will be driven by our people, supported by culture, and enabled by our environment.
Power prosperity
We will be recognised for driving major change in industry and communities through our programmes and projects.
Develop the talent for tomorrow
We will equip and empower tomorrow's workforce with a personalised, collaborative education focused on innovation, inclusion and industry excellence.
Our students will be confident, creative, resilient, and responsible - prepared for whatever they decide to do in an ever-changing global landscape. This shapes our teaching and underpins BCU's commitment to tailoring education to meet students' individual needs. We will foster a collaborative environment where students, academics and industry partners co-create.
Our focus on multidisciplinary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) approaches keeps our curriculum at the forefront of innovation. Inclusion ensures every student feels valued and supported, creating a diverse learning community that enriches the educational experience. Industry excellence connects students with real workplace demands, providing applied learning that enhances employability. This approach makes the BCU experience distinctive by blending personalised education with collaborative innovation; empowering graduates to lead and excel in their respective fields.
- Develop graduates who have the ability and confidence to excel wherever their ambition takes them. Students will become world-ready citizens. Employability, lifelong learning, and practical experience will be integrated into the curriculum.
- Offer an inspiring and inclusive learning environment with excellent teaching. Provide a consistent, high-quality, innovative and applied curriculum, ensuring students thrive.
- Develop practice-based courses which match the skills required of the future workforce. Provide students with an edge in a rapidly-changing world. Become the largest provider of skilled graduates in the region.
- Be nationally recognised as the model for STEAM attributes. Students will be ready to challenge norms and tackle complex future issues through interdisciplinary approaches.
My Story
Zainab
Zainab is a student, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, who chose BCU for its compelling MSc in User Experience Design course outline. She was drawn to the innovative structure of the course, and how it aligned with her interests and professional goals - especially considering the evolving nature of the technology industry.
BCU's approach to this relatively new field resonated with Zainab's passion for design and innovation. BCU was also the only option that offered a placement opportunity within the User Experience Design course. This feature presented Zainab with a welcome opportunity to seek industry placements, enable students to gain practical experience, and better prepare for her future career.
The User Experience Design course allowed Zainab to deepen her understanding of how user-centred design impacts business solutions. She built on her knowledge about accessibility and inclusion in design, both crucial in today's tech landscape. She also met industry leaders, such as Alp Arat, a Senior User Experience Researcher from Meta. Participating in events that fostered collaboration and connections with professionals like Alp enriched Zainab's learning experience, and helped prepare her for the professional world.
And she's keen to use this course as a springboard for setting a strong example for her siblings, and for young Black women worldwide, demonstrating that there are no limits to what they can achieve.
Zainab is now well-equipped for life post-graduation. Aside from the course, she has participated in the STEAM pitch competition, allowing her to develop and showcase her entrepreneurial skills in the UK context. And she is now employed at BCU through the Grow Your Own graduate programme, which has been instrumental in supporting her transition from student to professional. This is a scheme which allows graduates to work within BCU, providing invaluable employment experience, and giving her the opportunity to make an impactful contribution to both her immediate team and the wider community.
Create knowledge for good
We will be driven by our people, supported by culture, and enabled by our environment.
We will discover, share, and apply new knowledge to benefit our students, region, and the world - this remains core to our mission as an anchor institution.
The best knowledge is created in an environment that helps our people grow, work together, and excel. To achieve this, we will nurture a supportive research culture, enabling researchers from under-represented groups to succeed.
Our research will be focused on the needs of industry and our city, generating new discoveries. Sharing these findings with students, our city, partners, and the global community will drive meaningful and lasting change. We will produce knowledge to benefit culture, industry, society, and the environment, while also enhancing our teaching.
- Produce high quality original research with global importance. By collaborating with partners, we will shape and focus research to tackle real-world problems and make a positive impact on people's lives.
- Work with partners and communities to conduct impactful research that solves problems and drives societal change. Our goal is to support economic growth, improve education and health, and enhance quality of life in our region. We are dedicated to research that benefits and involves our local communities in Birmingham.
- Discover, share and use new knowledge to benefit our students, region, and societies globally. Our research will have a meaningful impact locally and globally. We will enrich students' learning, help them conduct relevant research, and work with partnerships in public and private corporations, SMEs, NHS, charities and other higher education institutes to put findings into practice.
My Story
Professor Rajinder Dudrah
Professor Rajinder Dudrah's research spans across culture and the creative industries. He joined the university in 2016 and since then he has been empowering other academic colleagues and PhD students in their research and professional journeys as Early Career (ECR) and Mid-Career Researchers (MCR), whilst making connections with the wider city region, and nationally and internationally.
Rajinder has led and developed a number of Research Clusters and major externally funded research projects at BCU. Currently, he is working on a prestigious 3-year Major Research Fellowship funded by The Leverhulme Trust on his forthcoming book project 'E-Bollywood: Popular Hindi Cinema in the Age of New Media' (2023-2025). Around 20 of these grants are funded each year in a highly competitive process and awarded to well-established, distinguished researchers in the humanities and social sciences to complete a piece of original research.
In 2022, Rajinder successfully secured additional funding from the AHRC and Innovate UK on a project called 'India-UK Creative Industries at 75: Challenges and Opportunities'. This research brought together 15 artists from India and 15 from the UK. They worked collaboratively in an online space to build a new research network and produce original creative outputs across the areas of Screen Industries, Live Performance, and Fashion. It also engaged BCU research staff, students, and alumni to work alongside creative professionals from India and the UK.
As the Principal Investigator, Rajinder led his team of two former BCU PhD alumni, Dr Vishal Chauhan (Co-Investigator, PGDAV College, University of Delhi) and Dr Julia Szivak (BCU). Together, they successfully completed the 9-month project, producing over 15 new creative outputs including short films, a podcast, music videos, a documentary, dance, presentations on the fashion industries and tribal tattoos. These outputs are showcased on the project's website.
In April 2023, Professor Dudrah was honoured by the South Asian Literary Association (USA), with the award of Distinguished Achievement in Scholarship to the Field of South Asian Studies globally.
Power Prosperity
We will be recognised for driving major change in industry and communities through our programmes and projects.
Our place at the heart of the city and region, and our international connections, are fundamental to what we do.
Powering Prosperity means transforming people, places, and businesses. We will accelerate the opportunities for our staff, students, and communities to start businesses that create jobs and promote inclusive growth. Our city and regional work will focus on collaboration and innovative projects linking BCU to the local economy; and working with Skills England, we will address local skills gaps and work to boost regional prosperity.
We will be a beacon for what a university can do with business and its community. We will cultivate an environment for prosperity in Birmingham and beyond.
As an exemplar anchor institution, we will be the creative and constructive partner bringing together communities, civic leaders, and industry to achieve shared goals and advance the region.
- Be our region’s leading academic partner for sustainable and inclusive growth in public, private and voluntary organisations. We will establish ourselves as a university partner of choice for industry, the public sector, community leaders and civic stakeholders; ensuring clarity of offer and clear routes for engagement.
- Drive innovation within our region and beyond through the provision of STEAM approaches, technical know-how, and guidance to support open innovation with businesses and entrepreneurs.
To achieve this, we will:
- Leverage our STEAMhouse multidisciplinary business collective to tackle challenges and bridge regional gaps through creative and STEM-focused solutions.
- Utilise our award-winning, purpose-built STEAM complex in central Birmingham that offers business support services, including co-working spaces; advanced production and prototyping facilities; a digital hub connecting users with future technologies like AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), 5G testbeds and trials.
- Co-create regional prosperity focused on health and wellbeing. By working in partnership, we will address socio-economic needs through specialised academic support and resources to improve health outcomes and boost productivity in our region.
My Story
Naeem Qureshi
Naeem Qureshi is not just a BCU alumni but a key figure in the East Birmingham Student Movement (EBSM), a collaborative initiative designed by the Public and Community Engagement Team to empower students from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a Community Ambassador, Naeem has played an instrumental role in connecting students with real world opportunities that enhance their employability and foster lasting community engagement.
Led by Birmingham City University (BCU) in partnership with organisations such as the Birmingham City Football Club (BCFC) Foundation and the Asiana Community Project (ACP), EBSM tackles socio-economic challenges in East Birmingham. It provides students with structured volunteering roles, ranging from front-line tasks to community-led projects, giving them valuable experience in leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork. Naeem has worked closely with local stakeholders to ensure that these opportunities are tailored to the community's needs, bridging the gap between academic learning and practical, employable skills.
Under Naeem's guidance, EBSM offers students the chance to take part in local initiatives such as street cleaning, graffiti removal, and community participation projects. His ability to inspire everyone involved has been critical in sparking small but meaningful changes in East Birmingham. The initiative directly addresses major challenges in the area, such as higher than average unemployment rates among graduates, by equipping students with the skills needed to secure meaningful employment after they finish their studies.
Through Naeem's leadership, EBSM has not only empowered students but also strengthened the relationship between BCU and the wider community. His work is a prime example of how strategic, community-led initiatives can deliver tangible benefits, driving both individual and community progress in East Birmingham.
Set up to succeed
The successful delivery of Strategy 2030 and Beyond is dependent on having the right foundations in place within BCU. In order to be ‘set up to succeed’, we have developed the following core enablers:
People and culture
We will be the Inclusive Higher Education Employer of choice in the region that attracts, empowers, engages and retains the best people, reflecting the diversity of our city.
Environmental sustainability
We will build a sustainable future for our communities by using education, research, and responsible practices to develop environmentally conscious graduates.
Infrastructure
We will provide outstanding facilities, digitally enhanced delivery, and financially-sustainable operations.
Size and shape
We will create demand at home and overseas through a diversified, relevant and appealing portfolio which responds to student preferences, partner and industry needs.