Northumbria University Hatchery

Background & Context

Northumbria has been actively developing and encouraging enterprise activity for students, graduates and staff at the institution over a number of years. Northumbria has Enterprise embedded across the institution and its curriculum. As a result of the continuing success of enterprise activity it became apparent that it was necessary to introduce and develop a wide ranging support network of incubation facilities - both on and off-campus.

The original Hatchery at Northumbria had been able to support and bring great benefits to 30 businesses and it was considered very important to ensure that this success was built on and further developed in the new space.

Enterprise Activities within Northumbria

Northumbria University's Enterprise Campus is one of the fastest growing enterprise facilities and provides assistance to students and graduates from premises in Newcastle city centre, Gateshead and North Shields.

Northumbria has been involved in an SDF (Sustainable Development Fund) Project with the University of Central Lancashire, University of Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University on Urban Regeneration.

Northumbria's enterprise activities feed into other local activity within the North East including at the Bed Shed, an enterprise space in Gateshead.

Northumbria offers accredited study modules and programmes to help support a better understanding of small business enterprise. A variety of modules are available, some undergraduate enterprise modules are 'generic' - intended to be studied by students from any disciplinary background; for instance a two-semester 20 credit 'Graduate Enterprise' module, whilst others are more targeted towards particular backgrounds and study areas and are discipline specific. Enterprise is also taught as complete programmes at postgraduate level. These are targeted at students from particular discipline backgrounds.

Individual modules are available to all full and part-time students, researchers and associates registered at Northumbria University.

Northumbria's Designers in Residence programme is a 'hothouse scheme created to nurture the brightest and best in new design talent'. It works almost as an apprenticeship, with access to workshop spaces, materials, equipment on-site mentoring and two years to hone business and design skills. This aims to support the smooth transition from student to successful entrepreneur. The Designer in Residence initiative has been replicated in Arts with an artist in residence. There is also suggestion that this model could be rolled out in other areas of the University, including in the area of the Built & Natural Environment.

Enterprise Competition

Every year Enterprise Campus runs a business plan competition called Business Challenge which can be entered by any student, group of students or recent graduate of Northumbria University - including those currently running their own business. There is a £1000 prize for the overall winner. There are prizes in a number of different categories - for example International Trading, Design and Creative, Retail and Services, Community Enterprise and e-business and ICT, plus a Business Viability award for the overall winner.

The plans selected as winner and highly commended in the Business Viability category then have the opportunity to represent Northumbria University at the North East Universities Business Planning Competition, which is held in October every year.The Blueprint Competition has been running since 2004 and the winners of business planning competitions at the Universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside all go forward, competing against each other for prizes of significant cash value.

Entrants to both the local and regional competitions receive expert business advice to help them turn their business ideas into well researched, practical business plans.

What is it?

The Hatchery is an incubation space available virtually and on-campus. It provides a maximum of 8 office spaces offered on lease for up to one year, completely free and exclusively to Northumbria students and graduates (who have graduated in the previous 5 years).

What happens in the space?

The new accommodation is part of a building that was built in 1980s. The new accommodation is of a much better quality than the previous Hatchery premises and whilst not being absolutely perfect for the requirements of a business start-up space, it works very well.

The main part of the space consists of a large room divided up by temporary dividing boards. These temporary structures mean that confidentially can be an issue; however there is a separate meeting room that offers a higher level of privacy. Businesses within the space are provided with a desk, filing cabinet, display space, computer and telephone (with free ICT and telephone access).

Additional facilities to support developing businesses are also provided, including enterprise mentoring activities in which all businesses within the Hatchery are expected to participate. These mentoring activities include services such as:

• assistance with compiling a business plan
• access to meeting and administration areas
• access and advice on grants and financial assistance
• specialist advice in areas such as PR, marketing, finance & law

The University, with the support of HEIF funding, buys in time with experts from a variety of backgrounds to provide tailored one-to-one mentoring support.

Northumbria linked activity

Self-employment/empowerment awareness is seen as vital especially in the current economic climate. A creative way of encouraging students to explore their own entrepreneurial capabilities that Northumbria supports is the enabling of students to spend their placement year within the Hatchery as self-employed rather than in industry. There were 5 students opting to take up this opportunity in the Academic Year 2009-2010. A member of the Student & Graduate Enterprise Team acts as industrial supervisor in these instances.

In 2009 there were 46 student/graduate start ups, an increase on 2008's 39.

Peer networking

Some clients also use each other's services so there is some cross-fertilisation of enterprise across the Hatchery.

Clients can talk to each other and support each other. The space allows for a routine of working and interaction with colleagues.

Further details

Graham Baty, Enterprise Support Manager oversees the Hatchery and business start-up support to students/graduates at Northumbria.

His colleague, Roger Candy, is the Business Partnerships Manager with overall responsibility for Student and Graduate Enterprise, he mainly focuses on developing enterprise in the curriculum.