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UMI3 ENTREPRENEURSHIP FORUM Social Enterprise Update… January saw the launch of our annual Social Enterprise Competition as a direct result of the University's selection as one of 56 partner institutions in the HEFCE/UnLtd Higher Education Support Programme. UnLtd provides support and funding to social entrepreneurs in the UK. The UnLtd programme has enabled us to build on our existing commercialisation operations to find, fund and support social entrepreneurs from across all four faculties. The competition has been very successful and we have already received over 30 applications from entrepreneurial staff, students and recent alumni, identifying social enterprise ideas which could help solve social and environmental issues. To-date, we have awarded six 'Try-it' Awards of up to £500 to test an idea and two 'Do-it' Awards of up to £5000 to grow an idea. Further awards were announced at the Grand Prix Awards Day on Friday 28th June. Details will be released on our website soon. We have been actively engaging individuals in a programme of events including One-2-One sessions, activity based workshops, seminars and conferences. The Social Enterprise Brief Case (SEBC), designed by innovation company Novomodo Ltd, was launched at one of our workshops. Facilitated workshops such as these allow for ideas to develop, inspire and motivate individuals to come forward and submit applications. UMIP's Enterprise and Business Development Manager, Dr Laura Etchells, comments: "The sustainability of a social enterprise idea is one of the key points to address and by participating in workshops and utilising tools such as the 'Brief Case' individuals can be guided through the thought process to produce a well-rounded proposition." As well as an active events calendar the team has been on hand to offer support with articulating ideas, the application process and mentor brokerage. Tony Walker, Director of UMIP's Enterprise and Business Development comments: "This programme has been drawing out people to approach us who wouldn't normally consider themselves to be entrepreneurs. It adds a new and exciting dimension to our technology transfer capabilities." Enterprise Network's evaluation of the UnLtd Higher Education Support Programme. The case studies will provide an in-depth understanding of how the programme has been delivered in different institutions, key achievements and lessons learnt. Following analysis of the findings, key themes will be published in a series of reports by UnLtd. Keep up to date with all our social enterprise activities and learn more about our Award Winners on our website www.umi3.com We have also been selected as one of eight case studies in the Social Enterprise-University Open Innovation Update… Our Open Innovation initiative was established to provide a platform for companies to explore collaborative opportunities with our academic and technology transfer colleagues. The combination of matching the University's world-class research capabilities with the interest areas of the corporate community through One-2-One meetings enables connections to flourish and adds an extra dimension to the technology transfer process. 2 One of the main advantages for companies to engage in Open Innovation with us, is for them to gain access to cutting edge research and expertise across all sectors. By facilitating industry's access to our academic community, we are opening up innovative ways of working from collaborative partnerships to co-funded initiatives. To-date, we have showcased high profile pharmaceutical, healthcare, service and venture capital companies including Reckitt Benckiser, Shire Pharmaceuticals, GE Healthcare, Pfizer, Lilly UK, Philips, Tate & Lyle Ventures, Rentokil Initial, Boots and Versant Ventures. Dr Laura Etchells, UMIP's Enterprise and Business Development Manager, comments: "We have found that companies are keen to engage and take advantage of the forum to discuss collaborative and investment opportunities in fields of mutual interest and this is something that we will continue to facilitate." The forthcoming events calendar is well underway and UMI3 will be welcoming companies from industries such as engineering, manufacturing, chemical, retail, healthcare as well as the investor community. If you feel your company could benefit from finding out more about world-leading innovation from The University of Manchester and would like to participate in one of our Open Innovation events please contact: Dr Laura Etchells, laura.etchells@umip.com, 0161 606 7264 for further information.