Resources and web links on Entrepreneurship

The Higher Education Academy offers a wide range of resources for entrepreneurship, including case studies and teaching resources. Other Subject Centres are also working on entrepreneurship projects and have produced teaching resources, these include CEBE (Centre for Education in the built environment), Engineering Subject Centre, GEES (Geography, Earth and Environmental Science) and the Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Network. Context, based at the University of Leeds, has a variety of "Enterprising Intrapreneurship" case studies for use in teaching.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) conducts research and study on global entrepreneurial activity. This web site offers downloadable copies of their annual reports which focus on both countries (e.g. UK) and regions (e.g. West Midlands).

Many sites offer advice on entrepreneurship and starting your own business, for example: The Real Deal, run by Channel 4, the Dragons' Den site, from a recent series on BBC 2, The British Venture Capital Association, the Kauffman foundation, and also startups.co.uk which offers advice on running a small business as well as entrepreneurship. About Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship offers advice and case studies, although the advice on tax is less relevant as it is USA based. Shell livewire offers advice and the chance to attend entrepreneurship events and also details case studies and offers a mentoring service. Business Link, run by the government, offers practical advice on starting and running a new business, including information on tax, health and safety and international trade.

Within the UK a wide variety of centres exist to assist entrepreneurs:

The White Rose Centre for Enterprise based at the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. The Centre "aims to increase entrepreneurial skills and competency of undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff".

Also based in Yorkshire is Bioscience Yorkshire they offer grants and support for post-doctoral researchers who want to create a business based on their research.

The Young Enterprise Scheme offers a wide range of resources, schemes and events to encourage entrepreneurship from the ages of 4 to 25.

Embreonix based at the University of Abertay in Dundee, offer 16 places a year for graduate students to start their business (graduates from any university welcome). Office and meeting space is provided alongside a postgraduate diploma in entrepreneurship and a business mentor.

The Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL) at Cambridge offers courses to undergraduates and postgraduates at the university and also evening classes and summer schools open to all on entrepreneurship.

UKSEC (UK Science Enterprise Centres) is the network of all the science enterprise centres at UK universities. It offers links to industry, advice and support for spin-out companies and events about entrepreneurship and teaching entrepreneurship.

The Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) brings together all the enterprise institutes for Scottish Higher Education institutes. They run events, competitions for funding and bring together industry and HE.

The Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation offers advice for entrepreneurs and links to many other relevant web pages. Also on offer are free courses, seminars and workshops for students and staff at the university and the local business community working in science and technology, some events are also open to all.

Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship (NICENT) offers advice on entrepreneurship and also information on possible awards and forthcoming events.

Scottish Enterprise offers advice, support and some opportunities for financial support for new Scottish businesses.

The National Centre for Enterprise in Education aim to "make starting a business and self-employment a career option and lifestyle choice for recent graduates". They offer advice to both staff and students on entrepreneurship and organise entrepreneurship events.

The UK Trade and Investments' Global Entrepreneurs Programme offers guidance and funding, in the form of grants and loans, to those starting new businesses in the UK.

Some of the Science funding bodies within the UK, for example BBSRC and NERC offer advice and information on aspects of turning Science innovations into commercial products. They are also involved in the Biotechnology Young Enterprise Scheme which runs an annual competition to raise the awareness of the commercial aspects of innovations in biotechnology.

Alphabetical list of all web links