27 Jun 2025
by Anne-Marie Payne
In an age of stretched resources and increasing scrutiny, universities face growing expectations to demonstrate their value to both students and wider society. While academic metrics have long dominated, there’s growing momentum behind a different kind of measurement: one that tracks civic impact, community benefit, and long-term social outcomes.
At Republic, we’ve pioneered a new approach. Between 2017 and 2023, initiatives across the campus generated £5.1 million in monetised social impact. But the figure alone doesn’t tell the full story. What matters is how that impact was delivered, who benefited, and why this model could offer a roadmap for universities everywhere.
Building a civic campus
Republic is home to eight universities, 15,000 students, and a growing network of businesses, charities, and community groups. With so many stakeholders sharing the same campus, there’s enormous potential to align resources for greater social value.
Republic’s Campus Experience Team plays a unique role here – working across institutions to coordinate civic activity, prevent duplication, and help universities embed their civic ambitions into everyday campus life.
This coordination has real impact:
- £367,922 in rent-free space for community organisations
- £370,491 in support for entrepreneurs and local job creation
- £1.7 million in value through the Lakeside Sandpit, enhancing local family wellbeing
- Over 4,000 attendees at community events such as Music By The Lake
Rather than a bolt-on, this activity is part of a broader place-based strategy to ensure that Republic functions as a civic asset as well as an education hub.
Over 4,000 attendees at community events
The challenge of measurement
Many universities struggle to measure civic impact. Metrics are inconsistent. Outcomes are often long-term. And the impact of collaboration can be difficult to attribute.
That’s where the THRIVE framework comes in.
Developed in partnership with Forever Consulting, THRIVE gives universities based at Republic a ready-made tool to track civic engagement across six dimensions:
- Tolerant, inclusive, and welcoming places
- High-quality local environment
- Resilient communities
- Individual wellbeing
- Vibrant community life
- Enterprising, sustainable local economy
Grounded in methodologies like the HACT Social Value Bank and the HM Treasury Green Book, THRIVE offers a robust way to link activity with outcome.
Turning strategy into action
Republic’s Campus Experience Team provides universities with both the THRIVE framework and the hands-on guidance needed to apply it effectively:
- Aligning civic activity with institutional priorities
- Capturing and reporting social value through shared systems
- Offering guidance on evaluation and impact storytelling
- Ensuring efforts aren’t siloed, but collaborative and mutually reinforcing
This creates a stronger feedback loop between what’s happening on the ground and what gets reported upwards – whether that’s for boards, funders, or civic university agreements.
Why this matters now
As higher education shifts toward civic mission, universities need credible, flexible ways to demonstrate their contribution. THRIVE is already helping institutions at Republic:
- Evidence the value of public realm and placemaking
- Showcase how partnerships benefit local communities
- Embed impact into the everyday student experience
Importantly, it recognises that space, programming, and partnerships are all part of the story. From a shared events calendar to community arts projects, it gives institutions a clear view of their collective civic activity, rather than a patchwork of isolated efforts.
A model for others to follow
Republic’s approach integrates civic impact into the fabric of campus life, ensuring it is visible, measurable, and sustained.
With shared infrastructure, coordinated support, and a focus on long-term benefit, universities based at Republic are positioned to build deeper, more collaborative relationships with communities and deliver lasting impact.
In a policy climate where civic accountability matters more than ever, this model enables higher education to demonstrate its impact and continue building on it.
To learn more about THRIVE or explore how your institution can measure civic impact, contact community@republic.london
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