Goal 16: Policies, processes and practices
The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions.
University governance measures
We have elected representation on the University’s highest governing body from: students (both undergraduate and graduate), faculty, and staff (non-faculty employees). Our current board of governors includes representatives from ex-officio members, lay members, members of the Senate, members of staff other than academic staff and student members. These include elected staff, students and faculty.
We also recognise a Students’ Union and have one that provides governance input to university, support for students and social activities for students. Our Students’ Union is the largest in the country and has over 400 student societies and a diverse exec team that inputs into a range of University governance meetings to ensure students are heard and supported.
University principles on corruption and bribery
We have an Anti-corruption and bribery policy.
We have introduced policies and procedures to ensure that we conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and are committed to act professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate and implementing and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery and corruption.
We will uphold all laws relevant to countering corruption in all the jurisdictions in which we operate. However, we remain bound by the laws of the UK, including the Bribery Act 2010, in respect of our conduct both at home and abroad.
Academic freedom
Our Future, the University’s strategic plan, published in 2020 and updated in 2022, commits us to academic freedom for staff at all levels, as one of our six core values. This is underpinned by our policy on supporting academic freedom (freedom to choose areas of research and to speak and teach publicly about the area of their research) for all students and staff, both junior and senior. We recognise the importance of freedom of speech in supporting academics in their research.
Our Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech addresses this directly. Our Charter, as granted by the Queen, states: “The work of the University shall be carried on in a spirit of tolerance and collegiality, freedom of opinion, mutual respect and concern, and openness responsibly exercised within the law.” Statutes include the following: “The preservation of the right of each member of the academic staff to have the freedom within the law to question and test received wisdom, and to put forward new ideas and controversial or unpopular opinions, without placing themselves at risk of losing their jobs or any associated privileges in jeopardy.”
Policy and lawmakers outreach and education
We provide a wide range of outreach, general education, upskilling and capacity-building to policy and law makers. We are a key delivery partner in Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE): a knowledge exchange and research project that supports effective and sustained engagement between academics and government policy professionals. CAPE is a partnership between universities and the Government Office for Science, the Parliamentary Office for Science & Technology, Nesta, and the Transforming Evidence Hub. We deliver Policy@manchester to connect academics to policy and law-makers so that their work is evidenced-informed.
We have supported law/policy makers with an event on SDG16 around the legal and forensic issues of the government ‘Prevent‘ programme to tackle terrorism. These capacity-building workshops target a range of professionals from across the public and private sectors.
Our Thomas Ashton Institute is working with the UK government’s Health and Safety Executive to deliver research, general educaiton and outreach to policy makers, law-makers and the general public on issues of safety, risk and compliance.
Engaging with local stakeholders
We have written policies and procedures to identify local stakeholders external to the university and engage with them. Each year we review and update our membership of the General Assembly, most recently in 2024. Our written Statutes of the University (Statute IX) states that the General Assembly shall have the power to “present the University and its achievements to the wider community and to receive the views thereupon from that community’ so that stakehodlers can feed in. In addition to the General Assembly we have further ways for participatory bodies to engage, as stakeholders, in the University. These include local residents and civil society representation.
One example is how we engage patients as key stakeholders through our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement initiaitive. With over 20 different opportunties, citizens can actively shape university research and teaching as part of a user group, by taking part in a research study, or helping to shape our public guidance. We also organise a Citizens’ Panel which ensures that the University can engage a sample of local residents in its broader policy, programmes and strategy development.
Fostering dialogue: a neutral platform to discuss issues
We are proud to provide a neutral platform and a safe space for different political stakeholders to come together to discuss challenges. We regularly arrange for experts from the University to join roundtable discussions with different political stakeholders. We suggest invitees and help to structure discussion events for maximum usefulness and have worked with government department featuring academics, civil servants, and officials.
Each year we support discussion and dialogue at political party conferences, including parliamentarians, civic leaders, business leaders, charities, think-tanks and academics from UoM. We also promote safe spaces for dialogue on our own campus.
We have a Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech and a procedure that defines the responsibilities of University, staff, students and the Students’ Union with regards to complying with the Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech. It also sets out how events should be managed and dealt with under the Code.
Working with government
We provide expert advice to government at a local, regional and national scale. For example, our experts at Policy@Manchester have created On Productivity which provides thought leadership and expert analysis on how to address the gaps in economic performance locally, regionally and nationally across the UK.
Our Policy@Manchester experts have also created On Air Quality, a report exploring how air pollution affects public health, economic outcomes and acts to widen existing inequalities. Within this they provide recommendations for policymakers on how these impacts can be addressed, at local, regional and national scales.
Policy@Manchester has also published On Energy which provides local, regional and national policy recommendations on issues such as decarbonisation, fuel poverty, energy storage and the future of nuclear power.
Participation in government research
The University as a body undertakes a wide range of policy-focused research in collaboration with government departments. Our Thomas Ashton Institute for Risk and Regulatory Research partners with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury in developing toolkits, training and briefings on the performance of major projects and programmes in Government.
Our African Cities Initiative works with the government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) on policies to support international development and foreign policy. Our Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing works with collaboratively with the Department of Health and Social Care to develop policies on ageing.
We also collaborate with Newcastle University and the London School of Economics on the Frailty Programme, which aims to address policymakers’ questions and assist the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in making informed decisions that impact the lives of older people.
Financial data
We publish our University’s financial data annually, both in a normal report and through open data.
- Our annual statements of accounts for year ended 31 July 2023 can be accessed, here.
- An archive of these statements can be accessed, here.