Students are invited to join a series of new policy-focused projects to help strengthen community resilience in Leicester.
CAPs (Community, Academic and Public Sector) is a DMU programme and a big part of our role as the United Nations’ global academic hub chair for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 Sustainable Cities.
Their new CAPsule will include two students alongside a principal investigator, community representatives, public-sector partners and academics.
Dr Mark Charlton, DMU’s SDG 11 Global Hub lead, said:
“This is a great opportunity for students at whatever stage in their studies to get involved in examining real-world problems in Leicester and to help come up with possible solutions.
“Students will be working with an interesting network and be helping formulate policy that will benefit Leicester and that could also help other cities, as we share the research throughout the world through the United Nations.”
The work will be paid but only involve one meeting a month and should be possible alongside studies and any work commitments.
Each CAPsule will form evidence-based responses to a specific policy challenge facing Leicester. Their work will culminate in a policy brief aimed at influencing local and national decision-makers.
Three initial themes have been identified so far:
- Refugees and asylum seekers – How do we make Leicester a more inclusive city?
- Health – How do we ensure equitable access to healthcare?
- Arts and culture – How do we achieve better access to arts, heritage and culture for everyone?
Other projects around housing and homelessness, sustainable urban development, governance, heritage, and community cohesion are also under consideration.
If you’re interested in getting involved, reach out to mcharlton@dmu.ac.uk by 15 February at the latest.
Posted on Friday 23 January 2026