Welcome to IGNITE, this is in the proccess of being updated.

Make a Difference and be a Social Entrepreneur.

Do you have an idea for a project or business that could help others in the community? Could you make a difference to society but don’t know where to start? Do you already volunteer in the community but would like help to make it better? IGNITE and the University of Exeter has been awarded external funding which will be made available to students, staff and graduates (up to one year after graduation) in the form of start-up awards for social enterprise projects and businesses. You can apply to ‘try it’ or ‘do it’ as you’ll see below.

Click HERE to see a summary presentation about the UnLtd initiative and how to get involved.

Application forms and FAQ's at the bottom of this page.

Try It Awards

Try It Awards offer small amounts of funding of up to £500 for you to try out your ideas. This might mean finding out if your idea is viable, learning more about what is needed and trying the project on a small scale first. The award provides an opportunity for you to take the first steps towards starting your own project and to gain the skills needed to run it.

Do It Awards

Do It Awards are for amounts up to £5000, with an average award size of £2500. They will allow you to grow an entrepreneurial idea if you are confident the project will work and that you have the basic skills to do it. This level is right for you if you can demonstrate you have the energy and skills to take forward an idea for which some project planning is already in place. Award winners who have completed Try It Awards may now feel confident enough and have sufficiently honed their ideas to be able to develop their project to Do It Award stage.

What is a Social Enterprise?

A social enterprise is a type of business that needs income to make it happen. If you have a business idea with social impact that you think could be profitable – for yourself or to put back into the community - then a Try It Award or a Do It Award could help. You could apply to use the funding to develop a prototype, test out a service in the market, or access specialist training you need to make your idea a reality. A social enterprise is led by people who create positive change within their communities. Leaders of social enterprises can be called Social Entrepreneurs – ‘Social’ because they are interested in their community or society, and ‘Entrepreneurs’ because they make things happen. A social enterprise can be anything that you believe is going to make a difference to other people, such as:

• coaching, providing workshops, or setting up clubs in the community art, music, theatre or dance companies working with specific groups
• education projects working with schools an environmental initiative support networks for disadvantaged communities.

Who can apply?

Registered students, support or academic staff, and recent graduates of the University (up to one year from graduation) living in the UK for the duration of the project who are individuals or part of a group can apply for HEFCE UnLtd funds.

Staff cannot use the funds for curriculum development and funds cannot be transferred into a University cost centre. Note that International Students may be excluded from applying if their idea requires them to register for self-employment in the UK and their visa does not allow them to do this. Under the funders’ conditions, the project must make a difference to those in the UK.

How do I apply?

We recommend that you contact a staff member to register your interest and discuss next steps before submitting an application form. Please contact Louise Rose, Student Entrepreneur Support, email: c.l.rose@exeter.ac.uk

Guidance notes and an application form can be downloaded from the links below.

Lead Application Form

Application Guidance notes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Award Criteria Information

Applications will be processed and awards made on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no deadline, but the scheme will close when the total award pot of £25,000 has been allocated. We recommend you get your initial form to us quickly to give yourself the best possible chance of receiving a grant.

Who are UnLtd??

The awards are supported by the HE Social Entrepreneurship Awards programme set up by UnLtd. For more infomation CLICK HERE to vist their website.

Our support unit, and web page are still in development but in the meantime please contact Louise Rose on c.l.rose@ex.ac.uk to find out about how we can help you as an entrepreneur and provide resources for the development of your ideas. Our support unit will be working very closely with the University employability teams and the Innovation Centre to ensure our support is joined up.  We look forward to meeting you and sharing in your entreprenurial journey.

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