The University of Lincoln is a university of and for the 21st Century. Dynamic, enterprising, and globally connected. We nurture talent and ideas, contribute globally by creating and sharing knowledge, and demonstrably help to transform lives and communities for the better.
We were established in 1996, in one building on a brownfield site. Charged with enriching the city’s economic, social, and cultural life, we were named the University of Lincoln in 2001. Since then, we have grown into a flourishing anchor institution that contributes over £400m to the local economy. Throughout this exciting period of development, we have been guided by a consistent set of principles: excellence in teaching, learning, and quality of student experience; responsiveness to the needs of communities and organisations; and working in partnership to make great things happen.
This strategic plan, covering the period to 2027, marks a major point in our history as we focus on realising our long-term ambition of being seen as a university that contributes significantly to the nation’s success through regional regeneration and international connectivity.
We were established in 1996, in one building on a brownfield site. Charged with enriching the city’s economic, social, and cultural life, we were named the University of Lincoln in 2001. Since then, we have grown into a flourishing anchor institution that contributes over £400m to the local economy. Throughout this exciting period of development, we have been guided by a consistent set of principles: excellence in teaching, learning, and quality of student experience; responsiveness to the needs of communities and organisations; and working in partnership to make great things happen.
Because we were created on an empty site, we have been able to build facilities, degree programmes, and teaching and learning environments that prime students for success in a challenging world both now and in the future.
Because we care about the needs of communities, we conduct regionally relevant and globally impactful research: driving productivity and reducing carbon impact in food and farming industries; ensuring that people in rural and coastal communities can live long and healthy lives; and conserving, curating, and sharing our cultural heritage.
This strategic plan, covering the period to 2027, marks a major point in our history as we focus on realising our long-term ambition of being seen as a university that contributes significantly to the nation’s success through regional regeneration and international connectivity.
Achieving this vision will require us to look outwards, attracting talent and ideas from around the world, to improve communities beyond, as well as within, our city and region. We must deliver the most appropriate educational courses, provide the best student experience, and conduct the most relevant research. Our academic structures, support services, physical and digital infrastructure, and processes must be fit for purpose.
By 2027, we expect to have a larger and more international student body with a higher proportion of postgraduate taught students; a greater diversity of programme types and delivery mechanisms; a larger research order book with more staff conducting internationally recognised research; more and stronger partnerships with external organisations; greater income from consultancy and licensing; and a higher proportion of international staff. At the same time, we must maintain our reputation for civic engagement, and for a committed staff community that delivers a supportive and stimulating student experience.
This will be no easy task. The external environment is uncertain and change is incessant. We must be agile and sharply focused, innovative and responsive, bold and ambitious. Displaying entrepreneurial flair, a collaborative spirit, and a fearless attitude, we must build on and transcend our historical achievements, to create a thriving future for Lincoln, Greater Lincolnshire, and beyond.
The University of Lincoln is a university of and for the 21st Century. Created by the people of Lincolnshire, we are as much the University for Lincoln, as the University of Lincoln.
Our purpose is to transform lives and communities, attracting talent from around the globe to create, for Lincolnshire and communities across the world, a virtuous circle of opportunity, prosperity, and economic growth.
Our vision is to be a transformative university enabling a prosperous region in an inter-connected world.
Our long-term ambition is to achieve a global reputation and be recognised as among the top 15 UK universities by 2050. We will work towards the key milestone of a top 40 position in the UK, and a top 500 position globally, by 2027.
Our values reflect who we are and what we stand for. At the University of Lincoln, we are focused and ambitious, always evolving and looking for the next challenge. We have a sense of passion and pride in everything we do and are confident in our ability to make a positive difference to the world. We will strive for excellence recognising and working on our areas for improvement whilst celebrating individual success and achievement.
Our inspirational teaching staff, gifted researchers, expert professional service staff, and engaged student body have a distinctive way of working together, which we refer to as One Community. This is a collective mindset, through which we promote equality, listen to each other, understand different points of view, are kind to each other, and accept each other for who we are.
Alongside this, we have a set of guiding principles that outline how we can best operate to improve the lives of students, staff, and the communities and region we serve.
Striving for Excellence: We strive for excellence in everything we do, holding high expectations of performance.
Embracing Difference: Prioritising inclusive practices in all our activities, we embrace difference through a global mindset.
Accepting Personal Responsibility: We accept personal responsibility for the wellbeing of people, our community, and the environment.
Working Collaboratively: Working collaboratively, creatively, and innovatively with our staff, students, and partners.
Challenging Each Other: We have the courage to challenge each other respectfully.
Our strategic ambition is articulated around three core themes: We Collaborate, We Challenge, and We Transform.
By building a collaborative community that challenges itself and the outside world, we will bring about changes that positively transform people and communities and help to solve some of the world’s current and future grand challenges.
If our purpose is to transform lives, then we must start by transforming ourselves. We must have clarity of purpose in everything we do, from how we deliver our teaching and learning, to the focus and conduct of our research, and the nature of our university structures. This must be done with quality, efficiently delivered, and focused on delivering our vision and ambition.
Read More About Implementation
We enter into this next stage of our development during a period of considerable uncertainty for both the sector and the wider world. We will rise to the challenges this poses.
By 2027, we expect to have increased and diversified our student numbers within a wider range of flexible delivery mechanisms. We will have a greater focus on research, with more staff conducting internationally recognised research, and we will have increased and diversified our income from sources such as research, consultancy, and licensing. At the same time, we will have maintained our reputation for teaching excellence and delivering a supportive and stimulating student experience. We will have developed people, processes, and structures so that they perform at the highest possible levels, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in everything we do.
We will measure our progress towards the achievement of our 2027 ambition through clearly identified key performance indicators that ably measure the step change we wish to achieve through the next five years of this plan and beyond.
You can download a PDF version of our Strategic Plan 2022–2027, 'Transforming Lives and Communities'.
We have also produced a two-page summary of our Strategic Plan 2022–2027, which you can download here.
