The School of Business and Law at Brighton University has been awarded the Small Business Charter in recognition of its commitment to supporting student entrepreneurship, small businesses, and the local economy.
The School of Business and Law is at the heart of the University’s ecosystem, incorporating innovation networks, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, innovation-led growth projects, and employer-focused skills programmes to support student entrepreneurship and the local small business community. The school offers a wide range of relevant courses, including apprenticeships, degrees, peer-to-peer learning for business executives, and a highly successful Ph.D. programme.
The School’s Centre for Change, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management (CENTRIM) not only supports students through a dedicated Responsible Enterprise & Innovation cluster, which delivers teaching and research that build innovation and entrepreneurship, but is also an internationally recognised centre focusing on the innovation and business performance of Small and Medium Enterprises, government and third sector parties.
The School of Business and Law further supports small businesses through initiatives such as the Green Growth Platform, which as of 2021, saw 1600 small businesses joining the network, generating £1.74 million of income through 84 research and development projects, creating 155 jobs across a further 47 projects.
The School offers a wide variety of career and employability support, both for student entrepreneurs and local small businesses. The recent ‘Step-Up’ programme enabled graduates to gain an internship with an SME, with extensive support offered to prepare the SME for the internship, including a range of events and workshops for graduates and SMEs alike.
The Small Business Charter Award is a national accreditation, assessed by small business leaders, to recognise business schools which demonstrate excellence in supporting small businesses, student enterprise, and the local economy. The School of Business and Law, University of Brighton will hold the award for three years. There are now 54 business schools that hold the SBC Award in the UK and Ireland.
Professor Toni Hilton, Dean of the School of Business and Law, University of Brighton, said:
“We are delighted to be awarded the Small Business Charter by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. The Charter recognises the passion and dedication of our lecturers, students and professionals across the university’s central services, our alumni and the businesses connected to us, and all their great work with SMEs. We are proud to be part of the vibrant SBC community and are looking forward to building on our achievements to establish an education and management development hub, connecting and supporting SMEs to drive regional innovation and growth”.
Anne Kiem OBE, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter, and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools said:
“We would like to congratulate everyone at the School of Business and Law at Brighton University on attaining their Small Business Charter Award. They have demonstrated commitment to their mission to support student entrepreneurship and SMEs, and it is clear from the evidence the tangible high level of impact this has on their local economy.”