Social entrepreneurship
We are supporting higher education institutions (HEIs) to explore the potential of social enterprise activities, and to raise the profile of this work throughout higher education (HE). We are doing this through a programme that aims to encourage individuals at institutions who have entrepreneurial solutions to social problems.
For the purposes of this work, 'social entrepreneurs' are individuals who set up ventures which address social issues, create positive change, or reinvest some profit from those ventures for social good.
About the programme
We are working with the social-enterprise charity UnLtd to create a culture of social entrepreneurship across the higher education sector. This follows on from our successful pilot project with UnLtd.
We have developed a further programme of work with UnLtd which we are supporting with a £1million investment from the Strategic Development Fund.
Through UnLtd we will work in partnership with HEIs, developing their support structures into effective and embedded systems which make it easier for social entrepreneurs to start-up and thrive. We expect to issue a call for projects from HEIs later in the spring, and the programme of support will run until mid 2013.
Unlocking the potential of social entrepreneurship in Higher Education
From 2009 and 2011, HEFCE and UnLtd worked together on a pilot phase of work.
A report on the findings from this programme is available. The report documents the impact of the £1million investment and the 200 new social ventures created in 70 HEIs in England to catalyse the support for social entrepreneurship in HE.
Read the report on the findings of the programme (Adobe PDF)
Social entrepreneurship toolkit
Working with UnLtd, we have developed a toolkit that is designed to help social entrepreneurs. This offers a comprehensive guide to developing a social enterprise business.
The toolkit will help entrepreneurs work from an initial idea, through setup and piloting and, ultimately on to longer-term sustainability, growth and replication where appropriate.
It aims to provide practical guidance and working models or frameworks that will help in planning and implementing projects. It also contains some discussion of HEI-specific issues that are worth considering.
More about the social entrepreneurship toolkit
Background
We already support the enterprise agenda through the work HEIs do with business and the wider community. It is also an important element of the activities funded through the Higher Education Innovation Fund.
We previously provided information on good practice and development in this area through, for example, the Science Enterprise Challenge.
Sector impact assessment
In developing the Social Entrepreneurship Awards, we have undertaken a formal assessment of their impact on the HE sector in terms of regulatory burden, equality and diversity, and sustainable development.
Sector impact assessment of the Social Entrepreneurship Awards
[ Download Sector impact assessment of the Social Entrepreneurship Awards as Adobe PDF 47K | Download Sector impact assessment of the Social Entrepreneurship Awards as MS Word 102K ]
Further information
The Social Entrepreneurship Awards web-site provides information about eligibility and the application process.
For policy queries contact Ed Hughes, tel 0117 931 7265, e-mail e.hughes@hefce.ac.uk or Rachel Samuels, tel 0117 931 7136, e-mail r.samuels@hefce.ac.uk.
Last updated 23 January 2012