In our first article showcasing those universities shortlisted for the THE Awards Outstanding Entrepreneurial University 2022, we look at how De Montfort University empower students and staff to do things differently.
What makes DMU an entrepreneurial university?
Hear the words entrepreneurial and university, and the chances are you think about starting a business, or perhaps commercialising research.
At De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) it is far broader than that – it’s about a shared ambition in which students and staff are empowered to do things differently, try new ideas and a collaborative culture in which taking risks and pursuing opportunities is the norm.
Our new Empowering University Strategy sets out how we plan to support our students and staff to be the very best they can be [strive and thrive], and how DMU as an anchor institution can play an active role in supporting communities and the regional economy to prosper.
We’ve brought entrepreneurial thinking to our teaching and learning, launching Education 2030, a block teaching model which sees students study one module at a time rather than juggle three or four different subjects.
First, second and third years have the opportunity to learn entrepreneurial skills from bootcamps, short courses and 1-2-1s run by DMU’s Entrepreneurship team. These are run at venues across campus and co-working spaces throughout the city to introduce students to Leicester’s entrepreneur networks.
Student, staff and alumni businesses can also gain extra exposure on DMU Made, a purpose-built website to showcase their work.
Students can visit entrepreneurial [economic and intellectual] hotspots around the world and meet entrepreneurial alumni with study trips run through DMU Global, which provides cultural experiences on and off campus.
This talent pipeline continues in The Crucible, which helps graduates and alumni who want to grow their own business, providing a year of tailored, personalised support alongside regular masterclasses from industry leaders. Its masterclasses are also available to DMU staff and Leicestershire SMEs.
A key part of the Empowering University strategy is Learning for Life. DMU is helping the Government trial the Lifelong Learning Entitlement to support older learners gain skills that could help progress in their current jobs or help them begin a career.
DMU’s focus on enterprise has also led it to create roles within each of its four faculties to embed entrepreneurialism and create opportunities. Each faculty has a Faculty Enterprise Lead to champion enterprise activity in collaboration with teaching and research colleagues.
Professor Katie Laird is the first academic to become a Professor through DMU’s new Knowledge Exchange and Professorial Practice pathway, a new career progression route which focuses on KE. Professor Laird is Professor of Microbiology in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.
The Enterprise and Business Services directorate has developed deep partnerships with businesses, industry boards and local organisations helping the university play its role in addressing regional challenges such as low skills levels and below-average digital capabilities. The team co-ordinates knowledge exchange activities across the university, helping to develop capacity in research colleagues and professional services staff, providing training opportunities and working alongside key partners.
From students to staff, city to community, DMU’s entrepreneurial spirit is having a positive impact at all levels thanks to its empowering approach.
What would winning Outstanding Entrepreneurial University mean to you?
It would be an incredible endorsement of the work which is done here at De Montfort to embed an entrepreneurial approach across its teaching, research and knowledge exchange activities, empowering students, staff and our business partners in the region. DMU’s focus on enterprise has paid dividends in the effectiveness of cross-faculty working, forging new partnerships with regional businesses and a means by which the university can fulfil its role as an engine for regional growth.