Deakin Business School has been awarded the prestigious Small Business Charter accreditation, becoming the first institution to be accredited in Australia for its expertise in supporting small businesses. This recognition highlights the school’s strong commitment to student enterprise education, small business support, and its role in the local economy, demonstrating clear alignment with the mission of the Small Business Charter.
The panel of assessors praised the school’s approach to small business engagement, which integrates learning, research, and engagement with stakeholders. This approach has had a proven impact on businesses, innovation, and policy. The assessors cited the SME Research Centre as evidence of this success, noting its clear focus and impressive track record of research-led engagement. They also recognised the Business Development Clinic for providing relevant support to businesses and valuable learning opportunities for students.
Overall, the panel was impressed with the business school’s strategic focus on SMEs and entrepreneurship, noting that it effectively supports the development of students and businesses in a way that is well aligned with both the region’s economy and its student body. Deakin has been awarded a five-year accreditation.
Professor Amanda Pyman, Dean, Deakin Business School said:
“Deakin Business School is delighted to be the first Australian business school to join the Small Business Charter network. Our commitments to active engagement with SMEs, work integrated learning and employability for our students, and industry partnerships, are central to the mission and values of the school. Deakin Business School is excited to join a growing global network of centres of excellence that champion business innovation, success, and entrepreneurship, and for the collaborative opportunities and shared learning that this network offers us. We thank the SBC Assessor panel for their valuable insights and feedback and in particular Professor Paula Whitehouse as Chair of the SBC Assessor Panel.”
Byron Dixon OBE, Chair, Small Business Charter said:
“I am delighted to welcome Deakin Business School as the first Australian business school to join the Small Business Charter network. Their strong commitment to student entrepreneurship, alongside their active engagement with SMEs and local stakeholders, reflects the central role that entrepreneurship plays in the school’s mission and values. This accreditation recognises their expertise in supporting small businesses, and we look forward to witnessing the continued impact they will have on entrepreneurs and regional economic growth.
“Deakin’s successful accreditation by the Small Business Charter highlights the Charter’s role in celebrating centres of excellence that champion small business success. We are excited by the potential of a growing global network of centres of excellence, bringing together business schools that support small businesses and vibrant regional economies.”
Professor Paula Whitehouse, Chair, SBC Assessor Panel, and Professor of Practice in Business Growth and Innovation, Aston Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Aston University said:
"As Chair of the SBC assessor panel, I was genuinely inspired by the way the work of Deakin Business School's SME Research Centre connects to the needs of small business leaders and how Work Integrated Learning for students is embedded with local enterprises. I gained an insight into best practice in an international context and am excited by the potential for shared learning and collaboration that Deakin Business School's Charter-holding status will bring to the SBC network."
The Small Business Charter is an accreditation assessed by small business leaders, to recognise business schools which are centres of excellence in supporting small businesses, student enterprise, and the local economy.
There are now 67 business schools in the UK, and two internationally in Ireland and Australia, that hold the Small Business Charter accreditation.