Civic hub

S.H.E.D™ is a research and innovation space that engages with lifelong learning and teaching through creative industry and cultural practice. S.H.E.D™ is adaptable and can be what you want it to be.

Each of these e-cargo bikes features a compact wooden cabinet which can be unfolded to reveal compartments containing curious artefacts, for engaging the public in a mobile and fun way.

The University of Derby Saturday Club mornings are free for young people from Derby and Derbyshire. Youngsters of all abilities who have an interest in creative and artistic practice are welcome.

In September 2022, Rolls-Royce Submarines Ltd opened the doors to a new Nuclear Skills Academy, with 200 new apprenticeships embarking on a career in the nuclear industry.

Derby has become one of just two UK cities to be accepted as members of UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities in the latest round of applications.

The University of Derby and its Union of Students have been awarded the Responsible Futures accreditation delivered by SOS-UK.

We are a university of and for business. We use our research, knowledge, talent and facilities to help companies grow and innovate. We work with organisations of all shapes and sizes.

The Civic Team supported MADfest at Littleover Community School. MADfest is a half day creative arts festival with year 8 students, themed around resilience, mental health and wellbeing.

The University’s Widening Participation team supports the achievement of the University’s civic and social mobility ambitions through the creation and delivery of a number of significant o...

Derby has been included in UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities in recognition of its outstanding efforts to make lifelong learning a reality in the city.

A new mural artwork at Littleover Community School in Derby has been unveiled  following a project involving the school and the University of Derby.

Local teachers from Alvaston Infant and Nursery School were given the opportunity to visit Africa to learn about different educational approaches, thanks to sponsorship from the University of Derby.

The Union is run completely by students. It is independent from the University though we work closely together.

S.H.E.D partnered with UK New Artists for a free, week-long summer school for 12 - 19-year-olds, exploring the intersection between art and engineering.

Derby Theatre's Community program 'DT Communities' has been championing the ambition and voices of local communities, with thanks to funding from Big Lotto Reaching Communities fund.

The University of Derby and Designing Dialogue CIC worked in collaboration with Derby City Council and Planit to develop a new Public Realm Strategy to reimagine the city centre’s public spaces

With the low carbon economy critical to UK business growth, researchers from the Derby Business School at the University of Derby have pioneered effective strategies to support more firms to incorpora...

Designing Dialogue CiC was commissioned by the University of Derby to design and deliver for Derbyshire County Council their public engagement of the first Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

The Government has given the green light for a new £13m East Midlands Institute of Technology (IoT).

Our Civic team worked with partners and communities, to explore experiences of extreme heat, access to cool spaces, and the role of civic and community leadership in building local climate resilience.

The Mental Health and Productivity Pilot aims to reduce mental health related absence, presenteeism, and the stigma associated with mental health in the workplace.

Two Children's Nursing students have won the Zenith Global Healthcare Rising Star award, along with other team members, for their work in curating the Children and Young People Student Nurse Network.

DREAMS is a collaborative project between the University of Derby School of Arts with Derbyshire's NHS mental health rehabilitation and recovery inpatient services.

The University of Derby is pleased to be able to support the Derbyshire Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme as part of our ongoing commitment to community engagement and widening participation.

A research project that aims to increase diversity in cultural and natural social prescribing programmes through shared training has been awarded £74,656 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

We are part of the National Saturday Club network for 13-16-year-olds, a free-to-attend club where youngsters can learn new skills, discover talents and meet new people.

Derby CAN (Derby Creative Arts Network) is a project where organisations create theatre and live events in partnership with people who live in Derby and the surrounding areas.

The University was the headline sponsor for Gaia, a stunning artwork installation on display at Derby Cathedral.

Communities within Amber Valley are benefiting from a new programme of cultural activity after a consortium, led by the University of Derby, was awarded a grant of up to £826,000 for the project.

The University of Derby hosts successful national hub of the Being Human Festival of the Humanities.

Funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in 2025, Connecting Solidarities marks 30 years since the Bosnian War and the Srebrenica genocide.

Market Tales is a cultural community engagement research project, that aims to preserve histories of migration, resistance, and collective organising that are central to the Latin American's in the UK

CivicLAB is a research group that looks at culture and creativity and their impact on society.

Professor John Steel's inaugural lecture explores recent research which has sought to reinvigorate the promise of journalism and address its contemporary crisis of legitimacy.

Researchers at Derby have taken a humble garden shed and transformed it into S.H.E.D (Social Higher Education Depot), a creative, socially, and civically engaged touring arts programme.