Professor Tim Vorley, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School, talks about how enterprise and entrepreneurship are central elements of Oxford Brookes strategy in our latest article showcasing those universities shortlisted for the THE Awards Outstanding Entrepreneurial University 2021.
What makes you an Entrepreneurial University?
At Oxford Brookes University, we are constantly striving to work at the frontier of enterprise and entrepreneurship. An early pioneer in the enterprise agenda, Oxford Brookes established one of the first Enterprise Centres in the late 1990s. Today, enterprise and entrepreneurship are central elements of the University’s strategy – from our values to our vision, the enterprising and entrepreneurial culture is at the heart of our University.
In 2020, Oxford Brookes launched Enterprise Everywhere, a University-wide forum which promotes enterprise and entrepreneurship. Through a series of events connecting academic and professional services colleagues, the focus has been on sharing and showcasing good practice to embed and advance enterprise on campus and beyond. In a nutshell, enterprise is more than the sum of its parts – it’s about new opportunities and making a difference.
At Oxford Brookes, enterprise and entrepreneurship has been an important catalyst to our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion among our students, staff and stakeholders. This spans research into barriers for women as entrepreneurs, to providing tailored opportunities to encourage entrepreneurship within diverse communities. Enterprise is central to the student experience at Oxford Brookes, with all 4 faculties committed to embedding skills.
Throughout the pandemic the Brookes Enterprise Team have delivered a growing number of events including: RISE – for ambitious, diverse entrepreneurs; BLOOM – a women-only coaching programme led by female entrepreneurs; and, THRIVE, a two-week festival in November to help budding entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses. As we return to campus we continue to see our enterprise and entrepreneurship programmes go from strength to strength!
Further to the entrepreneurial culture and programmes at Oxford Brookes, colleagues across the University are involved with businesses via the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) and the Oxford Social Enterprise Partnership (OSEP). From our Spark programme supporting business start-up, to our flagship Scale Up programme and the CEO club, our enterprise offer is about engaging and supporting entrepreneurs and businesses in Oxfordshire and beyond at every stage of their enterprise journey.
As a university, our commitment to supporting enterprise and entrepreneurship is reflected in our continued investment in our estate. We have 5 incubators and co-working spaces supporting bioscience, tech, creative businesses founded by staff, students and local entrepreneurs, and we are now launching ‘Scalebase’ – a new enterprise centre developed in conjunction with OxLEP that will host 20 start-ups.
Our vision for shaping the future of enterprise and entrepreneurship extends beyond Oxford Brookes, and each year we host an annual event open across the HE sector to advance enterprise. For example, the Director of Brookes Enterprise Support, Lydiah Igweh, sits on the national board of Enterprise Educators UK, and Professor Tim Vorley, Pro Vice-Chancellor and senior champion for enterprise and entrepreneurship, is Vice-Chair of the Small Business Charter.
What would winning Outstanding Entrepreneurial University mean to you?
Our nomination is testament to the hard work of colleagues across the University, and our collective commitment to enterprise and entrepreneurship. We believe that enterprise and entrepreneurship is owned by everyone at Oxford Brookes, as demonstrated through the Enterprise Everywhere events. Winning this prestigious award would recognise the efforts and achievements of so many. It also sends an important signal to the world that enterprise and entrepreneurship are at the heart of Oxford Brookes as we continue to embed and advance our enterprising and entrepreneurial opportunities through teaching, research and engagement.
Reflecting on the nomination Professor Tim Vorley explains,
“I am tremendously proud of the culture across the University. I see an important part of my role as increasing awareness and raising the visibility of our entrepreneurial excellence, and this award would be a ringing endorsement of the work of colleagues across Brookes.”