The Innovation Centre - home to over 50 businesses
Funding your business idea
Through the Innovation Centre, students and graduates from the University of Exeter can access funds to initiate and develop business ideas via the seed and growth investment funds.
The seed investment fund is a fund of £5,000 which will fund several seed investments of up to £500 per business idea. A panel of experienced University officers will invite detailed bids from student and graduate entrepreneurs requesting funding to initiate and develop their ideas.
The Innovation Centre also manages a growth investment fund of £25,000 which will fund 4 growth investments of £6,250 each. Funding awards are made at the discretion of an experienced panel of University officers, with expenditure of funding being monitored according to University regulations and HEIF funding requirements. These funds are generally awarded to students and graduates who have made their business ideas known to the Innovation Centre and whose developed business ideas or trading businesses are deemed viable and worthy of investment by University officers.
For further information on the funding awards, please contact Matthew Rusk, our graduate Entrepreneur in Residence, at seir@spaceforsuccess.co.uk or see Matthew during the drop-in sessions he holds in the Career Zone in the Forum: Monday 10am-2pm, Wednesday 1-5pm, Thursday 10am-4pm.
In addition to the funding opportunity, the Innovation Centre also offers the following flexible solutions to new businesses:
- 55 offices and laboratories, ranging from under 100 to over 2,300 square feet (10 to 215 square metres). These units are fully serviced, with access to our own Internet and telephone exchange.
- Hot-desks are available for rental with provision of Internet and phones at flexible rates.
- Virtual offices - We offer a prestigious address and access to a range of facilities and services, ideal for those in remote or overseas locations, or at an early stage of development.
- High specification meeting rooms and conference suites, with in-house catering, all at discounted flexible rates.
- In-house business support, provided by trustworthy, experienced and capable staff. Our business advisors can call upon domain and sector expertise from the University of Exeter, other Innovation Centre clients and professionals within our networks.
- A SETsquared facility. SETsquared is a collaboration between the University of Exeter and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Southampton and Surrey which partners in enterprise activities and collectively supports the growth and success of new business opportunities through spin-outs, licensing and incubation. The Partnership also works with industry through research collaboration and consultancy. The Partnership's Universities:
- generate quality 'spin-out' companies from university research discoveries.
- support early-stage, high-growth science and technology companies from the universities' local communities, by providing entrepreneurs with business mentoring, routes to funding and industries, as well as affordable office space.
- link established companies, with university experts and facilities to further their businesses.
- provide students and staff with business skills
For more information on the SETsquared partnership, please contact Matthew Rusk at seir@spaceforsuccess.co.uk.
- We are also partners in the Exeter Business Support initiative, employing a dedicated Business Support Advisor for Exeter. Unlike the business and technology support provided to Centre clients, this advisor focuses on any business, regardless of whether they are knowledge based or not.
