Six new social enterprise projects have received nearly £100,000 of Enterprise Development funding between them.

The projects range from research to prevent landslides; technology to enable people in developing countries to access web information, via a mobile phone, in their local language; and an idea for a national network of Innocent Projects, focused on the wrongful conviction of innocent people.  This is the first stage of the University’s commitment to support the enhancement of University research and technology for social and environmental benefit.

Dr Neil Bradshaw, Director of Enterprise at the University of Bristol commented, “We are pleased at the range of enterprises that have come forward for support which highlights the growing need for social enterprises in today’s society”, he added, “We hope other academic colleagues, from all departments, will come and talk to us in RED and see if there is a way we can support them turn their research idea into a sustainable social enterprise.”

The new initiative, led by the university’s Research and Enterprise Development department, seeks to support research that might not attract the interest of the mainstream venture capitalists, but should still be developed because of benefits it would bring. 

Programme coordinator Paul Harrod commented, “In the past Universities have tended to concentrate their enterprise efforts on technology that will create wealth.  While that is important, and we will continue to do so, the Social IP initiative also opens the door to other academics whose research is focused primarily on social or environmental benefit.”

The new enterprises supported to date include projects from the School of Law, Centre for Deaf Studies, Computer Sciences, Geography and a project based in the SETsquared centre in Bath with input from the Graduate School of Education.