Our Strategic Pillars

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UNSW Strategy: Progress for All has nine Strategic Pillars

Each pillar contains a set of aspirations, objectives and flagship initiatives. These will define our priorities, help us course-check, and ensure we measure and hold ourselves accountable for our impact over the next 10 years. Every person in the UNSW community and every function throughout the University has a role in the Strategic Pillars’ implementation and impact. The nine Strategic Pillars are composed of five Impact Pathways and four Impact Focus Areas.

Impact Pathways

Impact Focus Areas

Impact Pathways

The Impact Pathways set our ambitions and priorities for the primary functional areas of the University – transformative education, innovative research, and genuine engagement with people, communities and partners; and the operational areas that enable our work – purposeful, values-based people and culture, and inspiring, effective environments and systems. The Impact Pathways are the ways in which we will contribute to achieving positive societal impact in the four Impact Focus Areas.

We want to empower all our student cohorts – domestic and international undergraduate students through to our lifelong learners – to fulfil their learning aspirations and realise their potential. UNSW’s world-class educational offerings are continuously enriched by our research innovations and knowledge creation. Our spectrum of educational offerings will be enhanced through co-design to address the evolving learning and skill needs of learners to take opportunities provided by new technologies like AI.

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UNSW will continue to change the world through our research excellence and an entrepreneurial spirit that drives a culture of discovery and innovation, translation into tangible products and services, and positive impact. From our research into renewable energy solutions to computer science and quantum computing, to city and economy shaping research, we have a deep commitment to leading research excellence.

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Building collaboration is a UNSW value. It manifests in our unwavering commitment to partnerships with those who share our mission for positive societal impact. This is demonstrated by our longstanding partnerships such as with the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the PLuS Alliance with Arizona State University and King’s College London, and the Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE) with the University of Newcastle and industry organisations.

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Our people are the heart of everything we do at UNSW. Every person has a role in our mission for positive societal impact and we value every person’s unique contribution to our shared vision.

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UNSW is our people, and we recognise the importance of place, systems and operations in enabling our people to perform at their best. We seek to create a vibrant and inspiring University ecosystem.

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Impact Focus Areas

The Impact Focus Areas are drawn from the inaugural Societal Impact Framework (SIF), which we developed concurrently with this Strategy. These areas connect us to the most pressing challenges of our time and the areas in which UNSW can have distinctive and significant impact. Our concerted efforts in these areas will strengthen our actions and leadership as stewards of positive societal change, locally and on a global scale.

Climate change is arguably the most urgent issue of our time, with enormous ramifications for future generations.

UNSW will continue our trajectory as a leader in responses to climate change and impact mitigation from increasing natural disasters. We will enhance our expertise in climate science, environmental sustainability, disaster response and resilience, and many other related disciplines across all our faculties to influence policy and create innovative solutions with real-world impact.

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In 2025, Australia faces multifaceted challenges including critical skills shortages, productivity challenges, income and intergenerational inequality, health and education inequities, the cost of living and housing affordability. Recent years have accelerated the increasing wealth gap across the globe. UNSW’s ultimate objective of Progress for All is born of our founding purpose to advance the economic and social prosperity of NSW and Australia.

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Healthspans – the concept of how long we live healthy lives – vary significantly across Australia and globally. This is primarily due to socioeconomic disparities, location and inequitable access to essential resources like education, nutritious food and healthcare, including the latest advancements in medicine. Over the next decade UNSW will make significant contributions to enabling healthy lives for people in communities in Australia and around the world.

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Social cohesion, the connectedness of people to each other and their trust in the institutions that give society structure, is an important element of societal stability and security. As challenges to social cohesion increase, bridging divides to foster inclusive communities becomes an increasingly urgent and critical issue. In the next decade, UNSW will continue efforts to strengthen societal resilience, security and cohesion.

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Our Strategy was designed by our UNSW community, for our UNSW community so we want everyone to get involved. Please get in touch to discuss the Strategy or ask any questions.

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Our Strategic Pillars

UNSW Strategy: Progress for All has nine Strategic Pillars

Impact Pathways

Impact Focus Areas

Impact Pathways

Impact Focus Areas

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