The University of Manchester to take part in a new EIT-funded project for boosting innovation and entrepreneurship

We are happy to announce that The University of Manchester through the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre based in Alliance Manchester Business School will be taking part in a new project called EntreUnity. The project aims to:

• build a network of world class entrepreneurial higher education innovation leaders, that support outstanding students and staff;
• engage in cutting-edge innovation programmes across their campuses and regions;
• develop world class solutions to global societal challenges that foster sustainable growth, create high-quality jobs and improve the quality of life of citizens;
• transform young people and create professionals able to tackle societal challenges and needs.

The EntreUnity results and outcomes will be successfully translated into real world impact aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to validate its success as an impactful intervention within HEIs. The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre will be specifically developing skills and solutions for helping student and graduate start-up founders build resilient and enduring relationships and networks that move them quicker to investment, sales, and business growth, and bringing technology to market quicker.

The project will receive funding from the EIT’s HEI Initiative: Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education. This new initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) aims to boost the entrepreneurial and innovation capacity of higher education institutions (HEIs).

As part of this project, we will be working together with the following partners:

• Queen’s University Belfast – project lead
• Aarhus University
• Helix Research and Enterprise
• Lancaster University
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs Denmark
• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
• University of Crete
• University of Food Technologies – Plovdiv
• University Of Manchester
• University of the West of Scotland

Under the EIT’s HEI Initiative, the project will receive funding of €400,000 and will run until December 2021, with the possibility of getting extended for 18 more months.

Stay tuned for more information about this project in the coming months!

About the EIT’s HEI Initiative

The EIT’s HEI Initiative is a key objective for the EIT as part of its new strategy, the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda 2021-2027. The initiative aims to support higher education institutions with expertise and coaching, access to the EIT innovation ecosystem, and funding, enabling them to develop innovation action plans complementing the needs of individual higher education institutions. As part of its Pilot Phase, the initiative has provided funding to 23 projects, with the next call for proposals expected towards the end of 2021.

About the EIT

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The Institute supports dynamic pan-European partnerships, EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, among leading companies, research labs and universities.