On June 17, 2016 the Board of Governors unanimously approved For the Public Good, (Au service de l'intérêt public) as the University of Alberta's new institutional strategic plan. This approval followed the unanimous recommendation of the plan from General Faculties Council on May 30, 2016.

At the highest level, "For the Public Good" is meant to empower and enable each member of the University of Alberta to build, experience, excel, engage, and sustain. The successful implementation of the plan will depend on all, individually and collectively, taking action.

As a community, the U of A has developed one long-term, multi-layered plan to guide the overall decision-making and governance processes of the University of Alberta. Some of the goals, objectives and strategies envisioned here can be implemented immediately; others will unfold over the course of the next decade. It is anticipated that there will be an in-depth review in year five.

The first three Signature Areas were announced on September 26, 2018. Two more were approved in 2019.

The U of A community has identified its Signature Areas of research and teaching:

Precision Health

Energy Systems

Research at the Intersections of Gender

Situated Knowledges: Indigenous Peoples and Place

AI4Society

 See more in Signature Areas Initiative.