Written by Kate Beresford
University of Bristol: First Graduates from Innovation Programmes
On 21st February the University of Bristol’s NEEA-winning Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship celebrated its first graduations. Abdulhameed Al-Hadha and Bingyu Zhao (pictured with Centre academics Kirsten Cater, Keir Williams, and Dave Jarman) were part of the first cohort of students on the one-year taught MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Six students graduated in all and two (including Bingyu) are still in the UK on Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneurship visas. The Centre staff are really proud of all those students who not only worked hard but helped us field-test the programme! There are 23 MSc students this year and the first cohort of 40 undergraduate Innovation students will graduate in 2020.
Royal Agricultural University: IOEE Centre of Excellence
The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) has become just the sixth university to be made a Centre of Excellence by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE). The RAU is the only small, specialist university to gain the prestigious accreditation, awarded for leading-edge enterprise practice and for making the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills a priority. Enterprise education is woven into many of the University’s taught modules, particularly those offered by the School of Business and Entrepreneurship. The RAU’s extra-curricular Enterprise Programme has created over 50 successful businesses at the Cirencester campus, while Cotswold Hills dry white wine – grown at its Down Ampney vineyard – is produced, marketed and sold commercially by the students themselves. Full story here.
Universities’ investment readiness programme goes from strength to strength
A programme to prepare students and graduates for external investment has had record breaking interest. Nine of Yorkshire’s Universities are helping 20 businesses through the Investment Readiness Programme this year, an increase from four universities and 11 businesses last year. Participants will take part in 2 one-day workshops on finance, business planning and intellectual property, culminating in practice pitches to a panel of investors. Between the March and June workshops, businesses will be partnered with a Chartered Accountant to help develop their business plan, create financial forecasts and hone their pitch. The regional Institute of Chartered Accountants and University of Huddersfield organise the Programme, now in its 5th year, which is hosted by Grant Thornton in Leeds. Pictured left is Jerome Jacob taking to the Investment Readiness audience about his Dragons’ Den experience. More details from Paul Greetham.