World renowned long-distance cyclist Mark Beaumont BEM, has officially opened Elevator’s Centre of Entrepreneurship.
Located on the University of Dundee campus, and representing a £250,000 investment by social enterprise Elevator, the University of Dundee and other key partners, the Centre aims to drive innovation within businesses and commercialise new and existing technologies across life sciences, digital media, gaming and other creative sectors.
Elevator works across Scotland to help facilitate the start-up, acceleration and growth of new and existing businesses.
A hub of entrepreneurship and creativity, the new Centre is home to Elevator’s Accelerator Programme - an initiative that advances ambitious and early-stage business owners and teams to new levels of growth and investment potential at an accelerated rate.
A second cohort of 18 entrepreneurs has recently started the 12-week Accelerator Programme at the Centre and more than 300 aspiring entrepreneurs – from the student body, university faculty and local population – have visited the Centre to gain access to expert advice, professional contacts and support to scale up and grow their business ideas.
Mark Beaumont, who is also the University Rector, commented: “I’m delighted to be officially opening the Centre of Entrepreneurship and see that work is already well under way. This is a thriving hub which will create economic growth and job creation for the Dundee area, whilst supporting start-ups and scale-ups in and around the University of Dundee community.
“The Centre is one of the first accelerators within a Scottish university and it is fantastic to see Dundee leading the way, putting innovation and student support at the heart of the university.”
Professor Gary McEwan, chief executive of Elevator, said: “Elevator’s Centre of Entrepreneurship has already proven to be an invaluable source of advice, networking and opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs and innovation-driven start-ups from across Dundee and Tayside.
“Together with the University of Dundee, and other partners, we’re working to support more start-up and scale-up businesses; to provide the city with significant enterprises that will flourish and create jobs and wealth for the area, and support the entrepreneurs who will drive the future economy.”
Brian McNicoll, manager of enterprise and entrepreneurship at the University of Dundee, added: “Dundee is already renowned for its digital and computing success and as the city continues its £1bn development, the Centre of Entrepreneurship will continue to capitalise and drive our aims further to make Dundee a hub of entrepreneurship and the regional destination for enterprising start-ups.”
Following the opening, Mark Beaumont delivered the Principal’s Annual Lecture in Entrepreneurship – a highlight of Entrepreneurship Week 2018 – and presided over the final stage of the University’s ‘Venture’ pitching competition for students, staff and graduate entrepreneurs.
University of Dundee
Nobel Prize winning poet and honorary graduate Seamus Heaney has described the University of Dundee as ‘having its head in the clouds and its feet firmly on the ground.’ The ability to be both aspirational and down-to earth and to blend ground-breaking intellectual achievement with practical applications, has given the University its distinctive character.
