The Small Business Charter (SBC) has published a new report, Local Connections, National Impact: The Role of Business Schools in Driving SME Success, emphasising the central role SBC-accredited business schools play in their local business ecosystems.
For the first time, this research examines the breadth of business school engagement with SMEs across three core pillars: business support, connectivity to the business ecosystem, and student enterprise and entrepreneurship.
The findings show that business schools are deeply embedded in their local business ecosystems, delivering a range of services providing critical value to SMEs.
Supporting SME growth
Business schools accredited by the SBC are reaching SMEs at scale. In the 2024/25 academic year, 5,615 SME businesses attended a growth and leadership programme, with 8,068 individuals from these businesses participating in total.
Many business schools are also offering dedicated physical spaces, providing a visible 'front door' for SMEs to access support. Business hubs and enterprise centres were the most popular offering among SMEs, with 5,411 small businesses making use of these spaces in 2024/25. Other provision includes startup spaces, incubators, and accelerators.
Fostering student entrepreneurship
Equipping students with entrepreneurial tools is a defining theme across the majority of SBC-accredited business schools. More than half of responding schools (57%) provide a dedicated student startup space, collectively used by 7,175 students and 613 alumni in 2024/25. The same proportion run startup programmes for students, alumni, and academics, with 4,302 students, 219 academics, and 666 alumni participating during the academic year.
Entrepreneurship is also woven into the curriculum itself. With a third of course modules involving contributions from entrepreneurs and small businesses in the design, planning, evaluation, and delivery of teaching. The student experience at SBC-accredited business schools brings applied business expertise and knowledge into the classroom.
Connecting students with business
Beyond the campus, 6,288 students undertook placements and internships in 2024/25. More than 7,000 students were mentored by small businesses, underscoring the value placed on real-world learning throughout the student journey.
In addition, around 2,216 businesses were involved in teaching and student experience in business schools across the UK.
Bridging academia and business
The research shows that SBC-accredited business schools excel at connecting academic knowledge with real-world business practice. A telling example is the growing presence of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, with 70% of responding business schools hosting them in 2024/25, totalling 420 across the network.
SBC-accredited business schools are also helping SMEs to translate their ideas into innovations within their businesses through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). KTPs were delivered at 35 schools in 2024/25, with 129 active and underway, and a further 58 completed.
Respondents reported SMEs were involved in a total of 998 projects that included collaborations with other university departments in the academic year 2024-25.
Lord Karan Bilimoria of Chelsea, CBE, DL, Patron, Small Business Charter, said:
“Universities, with business schools at their heart, are the engines of growth and innovation, supporting people and their businesses to solve problems, propel themselves forward and maintain stability, especially during these rollercoaster times.
“This report shows us how business schools connect with their local business ecosystems across the curriculum and real-world engagement. SBC-accredited business schools demonstrate the value of working closely with business, and I hope this report will inspire more people to come closer to business schools - whether they are leading a firm, studying entrepreneurialism, or developing economic policy.”
This survey was run by the Small Business Charter and carried out across SBC business schools across the UK in March and April 2026. These findings are based on 47 responses, representing 67% of SBC’s UK schools.
Download the report:
Local Connections, National Impact: The Role of Business Schools in Driving SME Success