Green Gown Awards 2015 – Enterprise and Employability - Coventry University - Finalist

Innovations in helping staff and students start up and develop social enterprises

CU Social Enterprise CIC is a social enterprise set up by Coventry University to help staff and students of Coventry University setup social enterprises of their own.

CUSE emerged from a clear demand by staff and students of the University expressing a desire to pursue business start-ups that have a social or ethical mission.

Operating as CIC the University has developed an approach based on networking through mentors which can promote and identify potential social entrepreneurs, early stage funding and pump priming of ideas supported by strong and practical business advice.

This is the first social enterprise set by a University with the sole aim of embedding and growing social enterprise within the DNA of the University. Its aim is to change the way that the University acts in key areas such as procurement and the educational experience.

Top 3 learnings

1 There is a significant interest from staff and students in developing sustainable businesses with an ethical mission

2 New structures need to be created to help navigate the institutional system to enable social enterprises to be created quickly and effectively

3 Social enterprise new opportunities for applying research.

Videos

• Innovations in helping staff and students start up and develop social enterprises (click to hide)