Strathclyde strikes Small Business Charter gold
Strathclyde Business School has become the first in Scotland to receive the prestigious Small Business Charter Gold Award – joining an elite group of institutions at the forefront of entrepreneurship in the UK.
The Business School is now one of only five in the UK to have the award upgraded from silver to gold, recognising its world-leading support for scaling Scottish firms through innovation, internationalisation and leadership.
The Small Business Charter, which brings together world-class business schools and SME communities across the UK, has made the award following a rigorous assessment process, with Strathclyde joining the universities of Lancaster, Aston, Leeds and University College London.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said, “The University of Strathclyde deserves credit for this achievement. The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship and the wider Business School have been exemplars of the Scotland CAN DO approach and this recognition further verifies the superb work they do to drive inclusive growth in Scotland. I look forward to hearing how they continue to build upon this and help our entrepreneurs reach their potential.”
Professor David Hillier, Executive Dean of Strathclyde Business School, said, “We are delighted that the University of Strathclyde has received the Small Business Charter Gold Award.
“As an institution, we are committed to fostering entrepreneurial spirit and, through the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, we provide one of the largest university-based centres of entrepreneurship in the UK.
“The Gold Award recognises the high-quality expert advice, training and support that we provide to help small and medium sized businesses – and is a significant statement of support of our efforts to ensure our expertise has an impact on wider society.”
Anne Kiem, Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said, “It is fantastic to see the tangible difference UK business schools make to small businesses and local economies.
“Strathclyde Business School has shown ongoing commitment to finding ways of connecting with businesses in meaningful ways. Their recent Growth Advantage Programme, for example, provided a boost to the leadership skills of participants which has injected belief into their capacity to grow. The programme was also successful in attracting a high proportion of women participants, which should be commended.”
Strathclyde was among a pioneering group of 20 business schools to be first given a Small Business Charter award in June 2014. The upgrade to gold reflects the level of excellence demonstrated in providing world-class support.
This was most recently evidenced through the flagship Growth Advantage Programme (GAP), a specially-designed, 10-month business acceleration programme, run in partnership with Breakthrough, Santander’s SME support programme.
Strathclyde is also now recruiting for a Masters in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology – a pioneering programme in collaboration with the University of Waterloo, in Canada. It will offer practical skills development in key entrepreneurial areas including design, big data analytics and sales.
University business schools which have received Small Business Charter awards have already directly helped more than 18,750 small businesses – working with them through a range of support, including on-site incubators with dedicated space for students and small businesses to start up and grow.
The schools also provide dedicated Small Business Growth & Leadership programmes and strong full-time support networks of alumni and local business experts, supporting both students and small businesses.
