Help shape the future: UHI partnership invites feedback on transformation plans
The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) has today launched a public engagement initiative, inviting feedback on its early proposals for a more integrated university partnership.
In line with the UHI Strategic Plan 2030, the partnership will ‘think, plan and act as one’ as it continues a period of change designed to enhance the university's ability to deliver on its mission and vision.
The UHI Transformation programme aims to create a platform for growth, secure financial sustainability and create new opportunities while ensuring that all outcomes provide the greatest possible benefit for students, staff and communities.
As Scotland's only tertiary university partnership, UHI encompasses further education, higher education, research and knowledge exchange through a network of 10 colleges and specialist partners across the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire, an area that spans two-thirds of Scotland.
In 2023, UHI was rated 6th in Scotland for undergraduate satisfaction and 1st in Scotland for postgraduate satisfaction for the third year in a row. These achievements surpassed both its benchmarks and the Scottish sector average, reinforcing its commitment to delivering high-quality education and support to its students.
UHI is now seeking input from students, staff, alumni, local communities, businesses and other key stakeholders to help shape the future direction as it develops a new and more integrated operating model that seeks to build on the success of the institution to date.
Vicki Nairn, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UHI, said:
“In line with UHI’s Strategic Plan 2030, our university partnership is collectively working together to develop a new operating model that will enable us to be as effective and efficient as possible, capitalise on our success, and build financial sustainability and resilience. At the heart of any change remains our founding mission - to have a transformational impact on the people, communities and economy of our regions.
“UHI is proactively responding to the current challenges in the education sector whilst continuing our evolution as Scotland’s leading tertiary university.
“We want to ensure that we are at the forefront of developing a dynamic curriculum which allows our students the best possible educational experience and maximises their employability prospects. By actively collaborating with businesses and industry, we aim to align our programmes with the unique economic development opportunities within the UHI regions.
“Last year, the partnership developed an Outline Business Case, laying the foundation for future change. We are now advancing to a Full Business Case, which will define the details of our transformation as we move towards greater integration.
“This milestone marks the first phase of engagement, with ongoing opportunities for staff, students and other key stakeholders to contribute throughout the development of the Full Business Case.
“While these proposals are still in their very early stages, we want to ensure that we are fulfilling our founding mission by actively engaging, and we warmly invite anyone invested in the future of the UHI partnership to provide their feedback.”
Stakeholders are encouraged to participate by reading the engagement summary document and submitting feedback through completion of the online survey. The public engagement period will run from Monday 24 March to Friday 2 May 2025, after which the university will review the feedback and integrate key insights into the development of the Full Business Case. Additionally, key stakeholders will have ongoing opportunities to engage with the transformation programme throughout the process.
Further details on how to take part, including links to the engagement summary document and the online survey, can be found on the UHI Transformation website.
View the Strategic Plan 2030.