’Entrepreneurial’ accolade for The University of Nottingham

PA25/09 The University of Nottingham has been named 'Midlands Enterprising University of the Year'. Judges in the Midlands Business Awards 2009 praised its 'outstanding performance' in the promotion of entrepreneurship among students, and a commitment to entrepreneurial activity that has made the University a pioneer within UK higher education. Nottingham beat other shortlisted universities from both East and West Midlands at an awards ceremony held in Birmingham on January 30, attended by hundreds of business people from across the region including guest of honour Digby Jones, Lord Jones of Birmingham, former Minister of State for Trade and Investment and Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry. The University of Nottingham offers one of the largest and most highly developed entrepreneurship programmes in Europe. Under the auspices of the University's Institute for Enterprise and Innovation (UNIEI), programmes are open to first-year undergraduates on all courses, with 1,600 students enrolled in the last academic year. Postgraduates can enrol in cross-disciplinary degrees in entrepreneurship, and the University's ingenuity and enterprise support programmes are sector-leading. The Midlands Business Award follows recent success at the Times Higher Education Awards, when the University was named 'Entrepreneurial University of the Year'.