Pathways to Success: The Aston Way

Future-proofing higher education with innovation and transformation

The Pathways to Success report sets out the innovative ways Aston University is evolving into a more agile, resilient, and globally connected institution that prioritises student success and socio-economic impact, in line with its 2030 strategy.

Rather than relying overly on traditional funding streams, Aston has developed a more commercial and collaborative approach - one that has already generated over £1 billion in value for the regional and national economy, with ambitions to double this by 2030.

Pathways to Success demonstrates how universities can work more closely with industry, government, and communities to create inclusive innovation ecosystems - an approach often referred to as the Quadruple Helix model. This has been central to Aston’s impact and growth in a rapidly changing world.

Key recommendations

The report includes seven important recommendations for shaping the future of higher education:

• Act as civic anchors
  Partner with local authorities, businesses, and community organisations to address regional priorities.
• Adapt the operating model
  Develop more agile, enterprise-focused structures while preserving academic values.
• Equip students for life and work
  Emphasise both career readiness and broader life skills to enhance social mobility.
• Deliver commercial and social impact
  Build ecosystems that convert research into real-world applications and high-value jobs.
• Expand global partnerships
  Establish scalable international alliances, including digitally enabled models.
• Embed industry-relevant skills
  Make work placements, digital tools, and simulation-based learning standard across courses.
• Drive regional innovation
  Align research with local needs using the Quadruple Helix approach.