Salford student entrepreneurs
19/08/2008 The University of Salford in England has won funding to appoint its own Enterprise Champion, who will help to turn the ideas of students and graduates into viable business opportunities.
It is one of only five universities in the North West to secure financial backing from the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) and North West Development Agency (NWDA).
The Enterprise Champion will offer encouragement, guidance and practical support to students and graduates who possess an entrepreneurial streak, enabling them to explore the possibility of turning their ideas into real money-making ventures.
Claire MacLean, the University’s Learning, Enterprise and Development Manager, said: “Winning this funding is great news for Salford. We were told that we put forward an incredibly strong bid.
“The University has demonstrated a real commitment to enterprise in the past and this is a chance to turn those ideas into real business opportunities.”
The success of Salford design graduates Paul Dawson and Dwain Brandy is proof of the institution’s existing commitment to enterprise. With the University’s help, the two entrepreneurs have set up their own company – Let Loose Design – which offers quality design and branding to organisations with smaller marketing budgets.
As winners of the University’s Enterprise Academy Boot Camp, Paul and Dwain scooped £5,000-worth of business support, including advice from a business mentor and accommodation for their company in the new £9.6m Salford Innovation Forum.
The appointment of the Enterprise Champion will ensure the transformation of more students’ concepts into start-up companies. As with Let Loose, the University will provide early stage incubator facilities, which will cater for enterprise activity across all disciplines.
Claire said: “We have a clear focus about what we want to do with the project and that definitely helped us in our bid to secure this funding.”