LSBU named Entrepreneurial University of the Year

IOEE Centre of Excellence, London South Bank University (LSBU), has been awarded the Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the Times Higher Education Awards. The accolade celebrates the entrepreneurial support offered to students, graduates, staff and the local community led by LSBU’s Research, Enterprise and Innovation team, based at the Clarence Centre for Enterprise and Innovation, with support from academics across LSBU’s seven Schools.

The Times Higher Education Awards are widely regarded as the Oscars of the higher education sector, shining a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of institutions, teams and individuals working in higher education across the UK. In 2014/15 LSBU supported 600 local SMEs, boosting growth and creating jobs. Enterprise activities offered by the Student Enterprise team have engaged over 10,000 students and staff, and supported 220 student and graduate business ideas this year.

The judging panel commended the University, saying:
“LSBU has demonstrated how a vision can be translated into action, within curricular and through the work of its staff and more widely across their local, national and international networks. We are particularly impressed by the number of students engaged, the breadth of enterprising activity the University is involved in and the depth of employer engagement. LSBU shows a truly entrepreneurial approach to its pivotal role in the community and academic endeavours.”

LSBU’s victory was witnessed by more than 1,200 people who gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane. Commenting on the win, Professor David Phoenix, LSBU’s Vice Chancellor, said: “This is a fantastic accolade for the University and I am incredibly proud of what our staff and students have achieved.

“The importance of innovation and entrepreneurial education is going to be even more important as we seek to increase productivity and grow the UK economy post-Brexit. At LSBU we will continue to inspire and support students to become what they want to be through our range of curricular and extra-curricular support and look forward to further strengthening our role as a driver for innovation in south London.”

Gurpreet Jagpal, LSBU’s Director of Research, Enterprise and Innovation, added:

“I’m delighted that all our hard work has been recognised at the Times Higher Education Awards. Working with LSBU academic staff across our seven Schools and our Entrepreneurs in Residence, we have created a culture of enterprise that is engaging an increasing number of students and graduates through our innovative projects and programmes. We are also driving business engagement through collaborative research projects with industry and supporting SMEs to grow and innovate to solve real-world challenges. Congratulations to the team!”

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Manchester Metropolitan Business School Receives Highly Commended

Manchester Metropolitan Business School has once again been recognised for its excellence with a ‘highly commended’ citation at this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) Awards.

The accolade was presented at the awards ceremony in London on Thursday evening (24 November), featuring the Minister of State for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson.

Judges praised the Business School’s pioneering approach to the development and delivery of degree apprenticeships.

The commendation caps a remarkable year for the Business School as it joined an elite global group after being awarded the prestigious international AACSB accreditation. The IOEE Centre of Excellence was also named the Business School of the Year at the Educate North Awards.

Professor Julia Clarke, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Business and Law, said: “It has been an incredible year for the Business School. Its undoubted strengths in innovative teaching and continued professional development, impactful research and business partnerships continue to be praised and recognised.”

“As a Business School, we play a critical role in the development of students’ lives but we also enrich the quality of training, support and development of companies in the region – and beyond – as Manchester begins to harness the potential of the Northern Powerhouse concept.”

Sarah Trouten, IOEE’s Chief Executive said:

“I am delighted to see two IOEE Centres of Excellence acknowledged at this prestigious event. Both LSBU and Manchester Business School have truly embraced enterprise and entrepreneurship education, adopting new and innovative teaching practices which have led to valuable experiences and opportunities for both students and the wider business communities.”

“I would like to congratulate and praise the teams at LSBU and Manchester Metropolitan Business School whose commitment and dedication to student’s success is evidently clear, and I look forward to further supporting their success through IOEE.”

A full list of winners is available on the Times Higher Education Awards website and the photographs are available to view here.