The National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship was set up in 2004 and in 2005 started a number of programmes and projects to help cultivate entrepreneurship in higher education.

To evidence the impact of these programmes an independent evaluation of NCGE’s work was carried out by EKOS  a leading independent UK consultancy specialising in economic and social development.

Key Impact: every £1 invested in NCGE programmes = £11 return on investment to the UK economy

Ekos estimate the total net additional GVA (Gross Value Added) to the UK economy of NCGE programmes is £68.3m. There is also considerable social and cultural impact across the HE sector.

For a detailed summary of the areas NCGE works in click here.

NCGE supports a culture of entrepreneurship in four areas.

Leadership and Management

• University Enterprise Networks (UENs) are public, private, university partnerships focusing on key sectors of the economy. Launched in 2008 over 30 partners are currently involved

• Over £5m had been raised from the private sector for the UENs adding to £3.5m of public funds resulting in an estimated GVA of £31.5m - a substantial return on investment

• NCGE and Oxford University are currently supporting 23 senior managers in HE on an ‘Entrepreneurial University Leadership Programme’

Academic Environment

• NCGE has a number of programmes to shape the academic environment so that entrepreneurship is embedded across the university.

• One programme – International Entrepreneurship Educators Programme (IEEP) – has an estimated return on investment ratio of 20:1 and is now being delivered in the EU and China

• Other programmes such as a £6m ‘Enterprise Champions’ project in the north west and a national programme for academic entrepreneurship start in 2010.

Students

• Flying Start is estimated to provide a return on investment ratio of 17:1!

• Flying Start Online has over 27,000 graduate entrepreneurs as members and over 8,000 students are engaged annually in Flying Start activity with 30+ university enterprise societies

• 400+ companies have started through Flying Start  and over £1m has been raised for them

Graduates

• In 2009 Make It Happen (MIH) was launched to engage 5,000 unemployed graduates in setting up a business or becoming self employed. Within 3 months 8,000+ had applied.
• In 2010 3,558 graduates were enrolled on a 12 month MIH programme to help them into business

• MIH is on course to deliver 1350 new business by April 2011.

NCGE continues to have impact at every level of HE from long term relationships between universities and industries to supporting future leaders to shaping the academic environment and actually Making It Happen with students and graduates.

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