Our objectives
Together we will develop UNSW’s first Societal Impact Framework.
As a global university we are in service of our community, country and the world. This is reflected in the central role societal impact plays in our vision: to improve lives globally, through innovative research, transformative education and a commitment to a just society.
Understanding UNSW’s past and current impact and future potential is essential for our new UNSW Strategy. Societal impact is central to our vision and encompasses our ability to improve life by progressing:
Through extensive consultation with staff, students and our external community, we will develop UNSW’s first Societal Impact Framework. This framework will:
- clarify where UNSW can have greater impact by identifying key focus areas,
- define how we can strengthen or build new capabilities that enable this contribution, and
- guide how we measure and evaluate our impact.
Why is Societal Impact important to UNSW?
The renewal of the UNSW Strategy beyond 2025 provides the opportunity to refresh our aspirations and think in new ways about our societal contributions. We are uniquely placed to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges through our deep, cross-disciplinary expertise and advantaged position as a top 20 university* (QS World University Rankings, 2024). We already have many examples of our work creating benefits for the people and communities we serve spanning our 75 year history. We want to focus on that capability to amplify our impact. 
This will require a coordinated contribution from across the university, from faculties and divisions, educators and researchers, and local and global partners. Our collective passion and skills are a necessity for UNSW to deliver far-reaching and lasting positive change in Australia and globally. We aim to optimise our societal impact efforts through extensive consultation, renewing people's awareness and connection to our collective potential and achievements.
