About Cupp

Our aim

Our aim is to tackle disadvantage and promote sustainable development through partnership working. We share a strong belief in the potential for communities and universities to work together. Their combined resources have been seen to make a tangible difference to the effectiveness of the community sectors, the quality of university education and research and the lives of local people.

Our experience

Cupp has been part of the University of Brighton since 2003. Since then we have been creating, developing and nurturing mutually beneficial partnerships between the university and its local community. Starting as an externally funded project we have now become central to the university’s corporate mission. Through our strong student community engagement programme and a broad range of local and regional projects Cupp encompasses over 130 academics, 1000 students and 500 community partners.

University of Brighton Social Engagement Strategy

The Corporate Plan commits the university, by 2012, to become recognised as a leading UK university for the quality and range of its work in economic and social engagement and productive partnerships (see Appendix 1 for progress report).

This document sets out how the university will tackle the social end of the economic and social engagement spectrum, to complement the existing economic engagement strategy. You can download the Social Engagement Strategy here.

In 2011 – 12 CUPP provided:

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Information, advice and support to 185 community and public organisations interested in co-working with the University of Brighton.

(excludes one-off informal queries)

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Funding to 6 local community university partnership projects through ‘On Our Doorsteps’ programme

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Over 300 student community placement opportunities successfully completed;

and 28 post graduate level community based studentships completed

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8 public seminars, lectures and events with 269 participants;

4 journal articles published and edited a special edition of Gateways Journal of Community Research & Engagement disseminating the learning from our work

CUPP HELPDESK - providing essential information and advice in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings

185 ENQUIRIES Answered via our Telephone Service and Drop-ins

ENQUIRIES BY TOPIC 2011-12

University of Brighton Community Engagement Report 2006-07

This report was commissioned by the Community University Partnership Programme with advice from a working group including colleagues from across the institution with additional advice fro Penny Wilson, Head of Community Affairs. Univeristy of Cambridge.

The purpose of the audit was threefold:

First, to ascertain the range and volume of community engagement across the university in a single sample year in order to record and celebrate the activity itself. Secondly, to test a methodology for auditing this kind of work. Thirdly, to provide a baseline against which we hope to measure progress over the next few years.

You can download the Community Engagement Report here.

If you would like to receive a hardcopy of the report, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .