New UNIfy festival aims to inspire with series of interactive events

This year’s event will be online but future festivals will be based on-campus, allowing people to explore and get to know the University, its academics and researchers.

There are three broad themes, based around Heritage and Culture, Building Resilience and Enterprise and Innovation.

The various discussions showcase some of the research which is being done by University academics and how they impact on the city, such as projects like Zero Waste Bradford, which explores how anyone can help bring about meaningful change to combating waste and Childhood: How it impacted who I am today, which highlights how important the first 1,000 days of life are.

All activities have been developed following discussion with the community, to create a broad and balanced, topical range of subjects, which are in line with the University’s long term strategy of engagement within the city.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shirley Congdon said: “I am delighted to announce the University of Bradford is hosting its first UNIfy festival, which brings an inspiring programme of events that celebrates the impact and uniqueness of the University, its city region and communities. 

“Covid-19 has not dimmed the commitment and creativity of our staff, students and partners in delivering our vision to create a world of inclusion and equality of opportunity where people want to and can make a difference. We want to be known as the place to be to make that difference.”

The festival includes engaging events aimed at inspiring people and bringing the city and University together. Created with University staff, students, partners and communities, UNIfy will share knowledge, evoke discussion, inspire ideas and celebrate the University’s place within the city in a week-long programme of events.

Webinars will include:-

• Virtual Bradford: an ambitious plan to virtually ‘clone’ Bradford city centre. Virtual Bradford will create a ‘brick for brick’ online copy of the city centre. The project is a collaboration between the University and Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council. It will revolutionise how the council deals with planning, air pollution and traffic management but will also enable a myriad of other potential uses, such as the ‘gamification’ of heritage trails and other cultural assets.
• Conversations with…: a daily conversation celebrating some of Bradford’s favourite cultural figures. An opportunity to watch and listen as they talk about their lives, their hopes and aspirations for the cultural sector, as well as their favourite book, music, film or play, and place to visit in Bradford.

• Pass the Portrait: a 12-month project in which Bradfordians nominate someone to have their portrait and an accompanying interview. Each person will nominate the next in line, the final 12 portraits forming an exhibition in 2022
• Recreate: like many cities in the UK, Bradford has unused spaces in the city that are waiting for the next big thing to happen. If you were given one of these unused spaces what would you do with it? How would it contribute and benefit society, culture and the economy of Bradford? How would it be a responsible, sustainable and innovative business? This event will launch a competition to develop a sustainable business model that recreates unused spaces in the city.
• Creating Solutions: how do we reduce health inequalities in Bradford?: an examination of the link between health inequalities and social factors including place, access to services, education and employment

Numerous other activities and events will also be held from April 12 to 16, bringing together ideas and innovation from across the campus and the city. The festival will also help contribute to the Bradford City of Culture 2025 bid, which will celebrate the city’s history, food and art, theatre, TV, film, museums and music, not to mention a geography, which includes everything from its industrial centres to the Yorkshire Dales. 

Eleanor Clyde-Evans, Associate Director, Engagement, Alumni and Development said: “We want this festival to inspire people to get involved with the University and the wider community and to make the work we do at the University more accessible in general. We hope it will promote discussion and act as a way of celebrating all that Bradford has to offer, as well as acting as a new focus for positive change.

“We are proud of our city and the role the University plays within it. We aspire to be a University of and for the people of Bradford. So, join us and help make this inaugural festival one to remember and be proud of.”

Explore the full festival programme and see how you can get involved