SPOTLIGHT
Delivered through our Just Series, the Spotlight offers an
opportunity to focus specifically on key themed areas of support.
Our current flagship Spotlight activity is Just Social, a series of
bi-monthly workshops for Social Entrepreneurs covering topics
such as stakeholder engagement, legal structures and social
values. In addition to this the Social Entrepreneurs also have access
to 1-2-1 support from the UMIP Enterprise Team and our UMIP
Social Enterprise Ambassador, Nickala Torkington. Nickala was
appointed to this role at the start of the academic year with the
aim of helping to advise the founders and teams behind new social
enterprises from the University on how best to prepare for their
journey – offering tips and hints gleaned from her many years' of
experience in social enterprise.
Nickala comments: "After supporting the University through
the UnLtd/HEFCE programmes over the last 5 years, to support
them to find, fund and support social entrepreneurs, it's a real
privilege to come and work in a more hands on capacity.
I'm looking forward to supporting Social Entrepreneurs more
directly in developing their plans for growth, developing
action learning approaches to encourage further peer learning
and cross departmental connection, as well as supporting
strategically to raise awareness of the achievements social
entrepreneurs from the University internally and externally.
The University has a huge amount of talented social
innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders across their staff,
student and graduate communities, this will be a great
opportunity to connect their knowledge and networks so
they can collaborate in addressing their own challenges and
support needs and promote the impact they are having
more widely."
For further information on any of the Innovation Optimiser products, please
contact the team via ellie.buckley@umip.com or laura.etchells@umip.com
