{"id":1431,"date":"2026-04-13T12:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?p=1431"},"modified":"2026-04-13T12:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T12:28:10","slug":"the-university-of-exeter-and-u3a-10-years-of-mutual-benefit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/13\/the-university-of-exeter-and-u3a-10-years-of-mutual-benefit\/","title":{"rendered":"The University of Exeter and u3a: 10 Years of Mutual Benefit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><strong>The University of Exeter,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Exeter branch of the&nbsp;University of the Third Age (u3a) have recently celebrated ten years of collaboration. Since the signing of Memorandum of Understanding back in 2016, the two institutions have continued to share&nbsp;expertise, combining both organisation\u2019s commitment to accessible and&nbsp;engaging education.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.u3a.org.uk\/\">University of the Third Age<\/a> is a national movement committed to\u00a0skills\u00a0sharing, and\u00a0fostering a community of knowledge. Boasting more than 400,000 members across the UK, the group is an opportunity for members not in full-time employment to cultivate a community of education, in which everyone\u00a0has the opportunity to\u00a0benefit\u00a0from skills and interests in their locality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the Memorandum of Understanding was first formed, \u2018mutually beneficial\u2019 was the key to the collaboration\u2019s success.&nbsp;In the&nbsp;past decade, approximately 100 researchers have spoken to Exeter u3a members in a series of talks that ranged from the interconnection between law and AI to medical imaging to&nbsp;the invention of money. Several researchers have formed a personal partnership with u3a colleagues, emphasising the value this relationship and new audience brings to their research.&nbsp;Likewise, u3a members have expressed their support for the programme, highlighting the value of a relaxed and engaging approach, that encourages education irrespective of age.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYour breadth of lectures\u202fhas not only expanded my knowledge but also rekindled my joy for learning \u2014 something I thought belonged to my younger years.\u201d One attendee reported. \u201cYou have treated us not as \u2018the older student,\u2019 but simply as a learner, and that respect means more than words can express. Thank you for reminding me that curiosity has no age limit, and for making your own environment a place where I feel valued and inspired.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The relationship between&nbsp;Exeter&nbsp;u3a and the University has not only provided members with access to talks from&nbsp;University&nbsp;researchers, but&nbsp;has encouraged both groups to closer connect through member participation in research projects. Members have had the opportunity to contribute their own&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;to projects taking place across the University, whether working with Medical School staff, or sharing 20<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;century history with PhD students.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Exeter u3a&nbsp;University Liaison Team,&nbsp;Carol McCullough, Trudi Learmouth, and Dave Parsons, with administrative support from Helen Cleasby, work closely&nbsp;with academics to put together events&nbsp;that highlight the University\u2019s varied research specialisms, and bring this knowledge to new audiences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0Congratulations to the team on a successful first decade!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Exeter,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Exeter branch of the\u00a0University of the Third Age (u3a) have recently celebrated ten years of collaboration. Since the signing of Memorandum of Understanding back in 2016, the two institutions have continued to share\u00a0expertise, combining both organisation\u2019s commitment to accessible and\u00a0engaging education.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2305,"featured_media":1433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The University of Exeter and u3a: 10 Years of Mutual Benefit - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/13\/the-university-of-exeter-and-u3a-10-years-of-mutual-benefit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The University of Exeter and u3a: 10 Years of Mutual Benefit - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Exeter,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0Exeter branch of the\u00a0University of the Third Age (u3a) have recently celebrated ten years of collaboration. Since the signing of Memorandum of Understanding back in 2016, the two institutions have continued to share\u00a0expertise, combining both organisation\u2019s commitment to accessible and\u00a0engaging education.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/13\/the-university-of-exeter-and-u3a-10-years-of-mutual-benefit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T12:28:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T12:28:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-26-125750.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1144\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"783\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Catherine Hurcombe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Catherine Hurcombe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/13\/the-university-of-exeter-and-u3a-10-years-of-mutual-benefit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/04\/13\/the-university-of-exeter-and-u3a-10-years-of-mutual-benefit\/\",\"name\":\"The University of Exeter and u3a: 10 Years of Mutual Benefit - 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