BU launches Eco Entrepreneurs Fund 2024 with Santander
Could your business or idea help address the climate and ecological crisis? BU has partnered with Santander to bring you funding and support to launch or grow your idea.
What鈥檚 the fund?
Achieving a net zero emissions future is only achievable through a multi-layered approach of innovation, education and communication. To drive innovation, BU have partnered with Santander to support the next generation of eco-entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to reality or grow their businesses.
- Do you have a business or an idea with an environmental benefit? This could be anything from a product that can help reduce emissions or a business that helps people connect to nature
- Are you passionate enough to make it a reality or grow it to the next level?
- Are you a BU current student or within three聽years of your graduation from BU?
- Is your idea well thought through, viable and with potential to help solve an environmental or climate problem?
If so, you are invited to apply for the Eco Entrepreneur Fund and win up to 拢5000 towards your business or idea.
Shortlisted entrants will get the opportunity to present their business or idea to judges who have been on the same journey working on ideas which will help address environmental problems.
Workshops
If you鈥檇 like to know more, we're聽running a workshop on Wednesday 28聽February, 1-3pm on Talbot Campus which will focus on the skills needed to deliver effective and engaging presentations. You can sign up for this workshop and others through the Graduate Skills Programme on聽.
How do you apply?
Applications open on Monday 8 January and close on Friday 8 March at 5pm.
To be in with a chance of winning a share of the funding, please and submit your application聽
If you have any questions, please contact BU鈥檚 Sustainability Team at聽[email protected].
Why should you apply?
Climate change is recognised as the most important issue facing our planet today. In October 2022, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that 鈥渃limate change is an imminent threat to the health of our planet, our livelihoods, our well-being, and all other species sharing this world with us鈥�, and that we must act rapidly to achieve the Paris Agreement target of keeping increases in average global temperatures below 1.5掳C.
BU is ranked 1st in the UK in the THE Impact Awards 2021 for our contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13: Climate Action, and our聽Climate and Ecological Crisis Action Plan (CECAP)聽lays out our commitment to achieving net zero emissions across all of our operations by 2030/31.
In order to reduce our carbon emissions and reach net zero emissions we need innovation, creativity and partnership to make progress. The BU Eco Entrepreneurs Fund could help you make a big impact.聽
Who won last year?
The winners last year include Harry Shepherd, a final year student studying BA (hons) Business and Management whose business Collectea, aims to incentivise and encourage the use of reusable cups to help prevent the 2.5 billion single use cups going to waste every year in the UK. Harry was awarded 拢1000 to progress his idea and said 鈥淪igning up for the Eco-Entrepreneur fund has become such a highlight of my uni experience! It has given me great confidence in my future as an entrepreneur and has allowed me to connect with some of the super talented entrepreneurs who pitched on the day. The pitching experience and the funding I won has really given me the boost needed to kickstart my career as an entrepreneur, and I will forever be grateful for this experience!鈥�.
Read more about last year鈥檚 winners on the BU website.
