UnLtd have chosen 56 universities in England to give each one a £25,000 grant used towards inspiring and nurturing social entrepreneurship within their institutions.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is providing the funding as part of the £2 million HE Support initiative which will be carried out by UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom. The initiative was launched by the two organizations in January 2012.
From 2009 to 2011, both organizations teamed up to deliver a £1 million Higher Education Social Entrepreneurship Awards that supported the creation of 200 new social ventures by 70 staff and students in higher education institutions (HEIs) across England. The new partnership comes as a successor initiative.
HEIs had to submit an application for funding in April and show their support and commitment to the program. They proposed a wide range of outreach ideas to raise awareness of social entrepreneurship such as cross-campus “virtual hubs” and classes delivered by high profile social entrepreneurs.
To find, fund, and support social entrepreneurs, ideas include developing “accelerator hubs” to grow social ventures or setting up a “social entrepreneurs in residence” mentoring system.
“We received an overwhelming and brilliant response to the initiative from universities in England and selecting the final 56 was a difficult process,” said Cliff Prior, CEO of UnLtd.
“We believe the chosen universities will deliver high quality support, helping both staff and students to start up and thrive as social entrepreneurs, and that they will show how this work can be embedded across higher education to improve student experience, employability, research and studies.”