Bradford welcomes Chinese students for new international entrepreneurship initiative

This forms part of a new initiative designed to support students to become entrepreneurs and to be able to secure funding for new ventures.

The 12 students from five Chinese universities will join 12 Bradford students in a five day workshop designed to help them develop and grow successful ideas. Following a period of mentoring, the Bradford students will then travel to China, to hone and then pitch their ideas to Chinese and UK investors, in a ‘dragons den’ style event.

On the first day of the workshop in Bradford, the group will be visited by the Minister Counsel from the Chinese Embassy. On the Wednesday they will attend a networking event with the Lord Mayor, joined by other fellow student entrepreneurs, mentors and staff.

The workshop is part of a new programme launched by the University of Bradford to support the creation and development of student and graduate enterprises. Students are able to progress from first meeting each other to generate business or social enterprise ideas, to being in a position to receive investment for a new enterprise - within just four months.

Paul Thorning, Director of Open Innovation at the University of Bradford, said: “The Accelerated Student Entrepreneurship Programme (ASEP) gives students the opportunity to not only grow their ideas and receive valuable mentoring but also the chance to meet other like-minded individuals and share knowledge from across the World.

“With this programme we hope to give students the skills they need to become successful entrepreneurs and to develop the international connections to run a global start-up.”

The programme involves students participating in workshops with a period of mentoring, they then have the opportunity to pitch in a dragon’s den style meeting, with real money up for grabs to establish and grow their enterprise. The programme encourages collaboration between home and international students, with students also having the opportunity to participate in exchange visits with partner universities in China.

There is support for graduates who are leaving or who have left the University to take part in a Tier1 Graduate Entrepreneur programme, allowing international students the opportunity to remain in the UK for up to two years to receive support to establish and grow a business or social enterprise. The programme is also open to home students who are looking for additional guidance, contacts and funding to develop an enterprise following graduation.