The future initiatives are due to be launched next month and hope to provide new and inspirational talent identification related opportunities for students interested in getting involved in Paralympic sport.

"In recognition of the importance of equity of opportunity, the increased connectivity will also support the enhancement of BUCS and NGB (national governing body) pathways leading to international university sport and Paralympic Games whilst helping to shape the long-term expansion of high-quality Para-sport provision," BUCS said. 

"Primary purposes of the international university programme are to enhance student experiences and to aid the formative development of talented student-athletes and athlete support personnel for Olympic, Paralympic and world-level success."

At the re-arranged 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, BUCS athletes and alumni won a total of 35 medals, including 18 gold, which meant that, if BUCS was a country, it would have finished ninth overall.

Loughborough University provided the most athletes with five medals, including three gold, as athletes from a total of 16 universities in the United Kingdom finished on the podium.

Notable successes included Kadeena Cox, a physiotherapy student at Manchester Metropolitan University, who completed a track cycling double by winning the women’s C4-5 500 metres time-trial and the mixed C1-5 750m team sprint.  

"ParalympicsGB’s 10-year strategy 2022-2032, Championing Change, aligns with the ambition of the new BUCS 2023-2027 strategy to deliver exceptional student sport experiences that inspire, develop and unite whilst advocating for and striving to create inclusive culture," the governing body for university sport in Britain said.

As part of its Paralympic Potential Programme, BUCS and ParalympicsGB plan to launch its new identification programme at Middlesbrough Sports Village on November 1.

It will offer opportunities for all sports included as part of the Paralympic Games for those with a visual impairment, including judo, football, goalball, rowing, swimming, cycling, Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, athletics and triathlon.

Students interested in trying any of the sports have been asked to complete a form "Discover Your Potential".

Several other opportunities to try Paralympic sports have been arranged, including at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, which hosted the 2012 Paralympic Games, on November 25.

Birmingham University, closely involved in last year’s successful Commonwealth Games, is scheduled to host an event on December 10.

In addition, BUCS have claimed it hopes to uncover and empower "hidden talents“ from within its membership, including those that may have an impairment that is not immediately obvious, formally diagnosed or widely known about.

"By providing bespoke support and signposting with ParalympicsGB, students will be able to discover their potential and explore the competitive opportunities available to them," BUCS said.