University of Lincoln


The University of Lincoln supports enterprise and entrepreneurship through education and learning, start-up support and incubation for new and growing business ventures, knowledge exchange, research and commercial development.

Sparkhouse & Think Tank, the University of Lincoln’s incubation centres support enterprise and entrepreneurship throughout the university for staff, students, graduates and ambitious individuals. The incubation centres offer modern offices with access to meeting rooms, collaborative workspaces, break-out spaces, on-site cafes, reception services, mentoring, tenant only networking events and more. Sparkhouse also offers a virtual tenancy in which businesses can register their address at the incubation centre, and benefit from our reception and postal services.

Sparkhouse is home to Student Enterprise, a dedicated service for students and graduates to help guide them through the early stages of self-employment. In collaboration with the Lincoln International Business School (LIBS), Student Enterprise delivers a module on entrepreneurship which aims to cover all the information you would need to go about exploring self-employment. The module also includes guest workshops by successful graduate businesses and trips to some of the world’s most successful businesses, most recently an away day at the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Gainsborough (2023).

Student Enterprise’s Hub, located in Sparkhouse, also provides students with a space to conduct their entrepreneurial activity in a safe and supportive environment. This includes collaborative workspaces and a dedicated meeting room. With our Student Enterprise coordinator on site throughout the week, it is now the go to place for entrepreneurial students and graduates looking for advice and guidance. Funding is also available to support graduate start-ups and help to get ideas off the ground along with mentoring and support.

It has been recognised as a Best Practice Incubator by the East Midlands Development Agency and has also been accredited by UK Business Incubation Inspire monitoring, development and accreditation process. Sparkhouse celebrated 20 years of operating in 2023, which shows the longevity and impact the incubation centre has had, as it has firmly established itself as a key player in the Lincolnshire business ecosystem.

Email:

studententerprise@lincoln.ac.uk

sparkhouse@lincoln.ac.uk

thinktank@lincoln.ac.uk

Other web pages:

www.linkedin.com/company/uolenterprise

www.instagram.com/student.enterprise/

https://twitter.com/uol_enterprise

https://www.instagram.com/sparkhouse_/

https://twitter.com/BusIncGrow