Small Business Charter Award
The University of Dundee School of Business has been accredited with the Small Business Charter Award, in recognition of its commitment to student entrepreneurship, supporting small businesses, and the local economy.
It is evident that the school plays an important and holistic role in supporting the SME infrastructure within the local region. The business school has an established track record of working with other universities in order to deliver initiatives to SMEs – positioned within a consortium of 15 schools, UDSB has a demonstrable record of designing and co-delivering support programmes for the SME community.
The panel were impressed by the school’s Centre for Entrepreneurship, a university-owned incubator space that works in collaboration with external body Elevator, to deliver enterprise and entrepreneurial support for undergraduates, postgraduates and external SMEs. Further to this, the school runs three Business Accelerator programmes annually; participants on these programmes can access the Centre, with over 50 companies having received support so far.
It is clear that the School of Business maintains a high level of interaction with SMEs, especially within the enterprise modules, where practitioners from small businesses provide support, guest lectures and workshops for students. The panel were provided with a list of over 15 SMEs involved in the delivery of five teaching modules, with a further 50 SMEs contributing to programmes and live events for the Centre for Entrepreneurship.
The panel also commended the school on its established close relationships with key stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise; the school draw upon these relationships to effectively guide SMEs requiring assistance to appropriate support providers, alongside supporting student entrepreneurs through the starting stages of business.
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 University of Dundee School of Business will hold the award for 3 years. There are 62 business schools that hold the SBC Award in the UK and Ireland.
Professor Morris Altman, Dean of the University of Dundee School of Business said:
“We are delighted to receive Small Business Charter accreditation for the next three years. We have worked exceptionally hard to secure this accreditation with colleagues across the School, the wider University and external stakeholders. This accreditation allows us to further develop the work we are already doing with SME’s in the region, and also grow and develop further projects and opportunities.”
Anne Kiem OBE, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter, and Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools said:
“We’d like to congratulate the University of Dundee School of Business on their Small Business Charter Award, given in recognition of their support for student entrepreneurship, small business and their local economy. It is clear that their commitment to supporting local SMEs in the region is integral to the foundations of the school, and we look forward to working closely with them in the future.”