Yorkshire’s Universities Join Royal Launch of Enterprise Initiative

Feb. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- The Duke will address an audience of around three hundred leaders from the UK’s higher education institutions who have been invited to attend Buckingham Palace for the launch of the Student Ambassador Programme for Start Up Loans.

The event is being hosted by His Royal Highness as part of his continued focus on promoting entrepreneurship. Lord Young, an economic adviser to David Cameron and founder of the scheme, is also due to attend.
Among those attending from the Yorkshire region is Dr. Kelly Smith, Head of Enterprise at the University of Huddersfield. Dr. Smith leads the university’s enterprise education including Yorkshire’s Graduate Entrepreneurship Project, an ERDF funded project which brings together Yorkshire’s higher education institutions to promote and support entrepreneurship amongst the region’s student and graduate population.

Dr. Smith said, “Start Up loans in the region of £2500 offer an important source of initial investment for many for young entrepreneurs. The new loans will further enhance the extensive support available to Yorkshire’s student and graduate entrepreneurs through the Graduate Entrepreneurship Project.”

The event will focus on how start up loans can be promoted through universities and will include the appointment of the region’s first student ambassadors for Start-Up Loans, a government backed initiative to provide budding entrepreneurs aged 18-30 with a range of support including access to a business mentor and capital.

James Caan, noted entrepreneur and chairman of the Start-up Loans Company, said: "Student entrepreneurship is a vibrant community and through Start-Up Loans, we can help foster the amazing innovation that is evident in Universities across the country. Through the Student Ambassadors, we will be able to catalyse enterprise amongst students."

More information on Start-Up Loans is available at www.StartUploans.co.uk (http://www.prlog.org/pub/www.StartUploans.co.uk). For further details on Yorkshire’s Graduate Entrepreneurship Project visit www.graduateentrepreneurship.co.uk.