Search results
-
BG Futures Summer Social Offers New Entrepreneurs the Chance to Celebrate their Success
The recent Summer Social organised by Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) BG Futures Team provided an informal opportunity for organisations and entrepreneurs to further develop their professional network whilst promoting their individual repertoires. -
Lord-Lieutenant Officially Opens BGU Research Centre
Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) new Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) has been officially opened at an event led by BGU Vice Chancellor the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil and the Lord-Lieutenant for Lincolnshire, Toby Dennis. Conceived by BGU, LORIC will provide support to businesses, public and third-sector organisations across Greater Lincolnshire by enabling connections with data specialists and researchers to bring new insights for businesses. Speaking at the launch event Christopher Bridle, LORIC Project Manager, spoke of how the county was at the heart of the project: “This is an incredibly rewarding moment, a lot of hard work has gone into taking the project to this point and it wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of a range of local companies. LORIC truly is a resource created by and for the people of Lincolnshire”. His words were echoed by the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil: “LORIC is just one manifestation of BGU's dedication to supporting the Lincolnshire community by placing research and the exchange of knowledge at the centre of what we do. It highlights our journey as an evolving university that we are now able to offer local businesses expertise and support to improve their practices which will, in turn, benefit the county for years to come". Opening the Centre Toby Dennis, the Lord-Lieutenant, shared his excitement for the positive impact LORIC will have for Lincolnshire business: "It is indeed a great thrill to be able to open this wonderful concept from an innovative and ever developing institution. This latest addition is an inspiration to the local community from which all corners of the county will have the opportunity to benefit. BGU is held in the highest regard far and wide and the county should feel privileged to be the home of this exceptional place of education and development" LORIC will be hosting its first Open Day for Lincolnshire businesses on the 17th of October from 4-6.30pm. Any SME within Greater Lincolnshire is welcome to attend and to hear more about how LORIC can support business, to tour the facilities and to enjoy refreshments. For more information contact loric@bishopg.ac.uk -
BGU Lecturer Helps Promote Social Innovation in Malaysia
Dr Elinor Vettraino, Head Coach and Programme Leader for Business and Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was one of five team coaches selected to support the development of social innovation in projects in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The SITEL project (Social Innovation through Team Entrepreneurial Learning) created by the University of Westminster and funded by the British Council, was an intensive Trans and Multi-Disciplinary five day workshop designed to foster an eco-system for developing resilient social enterprise through entrepreneurship education. The focus of the programme was to provide opportunities for early career researchers from both Malaysia and the UK to learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research connections to explore solutions to social innovation challenges in the area. Dr Vettraino was delighted to be involved in the project: “It was a privilege to be asked to coach a team in this project and to have the opportunity to add real value to research in the region which will lead to real action.” The project Dr Vettraino was involved with was an agro-tourism farm-stay located close to Mount Kinabalu. Research into the challenges for the local community indicated the need for technology to support the development of irrigation systems, as well as training to support the youth of the area to stay and continue to work in the community. Dr Vettraino added that the future applications of the project team’s efforts created exciting avenues for community development: “Funding is available to take forward some of the project ideas that were generated during the programme and it is fantastic to have been involved in genuine development of opportunities for the people in the area.” Dr Vettraino is head of the Business and Enterprise area at BGU. You can find more information on the exciting opportunities offered by BGU’s Business courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
Enterprising students triumph with Tenner challenge
The Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) Enterprise Club hosted the first ‘Tenner Challenge’ of the year during freshers week. The challenge sought resourceful individuals to come together to generate enterprising ideas to turn a profit from a ‘tenner’ in under 36 hours. The event was a resounding success with the teams involved not only returning their tenner and making over £25 per team profit, but also donating £1 each to the Young Enterprise charity which empowers young people to harness their personal and business skills. The event was organised and run by staff from BG Futures, BGU’s Careers, Employability and Enterprise service, who commended the enterprising talent showcased. One team decided to produce and raffle off a chocolate hamper which proved so successful that, within the first hour of the challenge, they had managed to sell enough tickets to break even. Other teams purchased cookies and sold these to their fellow students, friends and family generating an income of over £40. The BG Futures team are hosting several enterprise initiatives throughout the year including The Lincoln Teenage Market, where performers and traders aged between 10 and 29 can showcase their creative talents for free, Global entrepreneurship week, which runs in November, and various other events hosted at BGU Enterprise Club. For more information on all these events and how you can get involved contact the BG Futures team at enterprise@bishopg.ac.uk. -
Encouraging Inclusive Leadership around the World
Umar Zamman, Director of People and Organisational Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), recently delivered a speech to the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) on the power and importance of being inclusive leaders. He was awarded a bursary by the ACU to attend the conference. Speaking at the ACU’s global ‘HR in the HE Community’ conference in Canada, Umar discussed the characteristics, actions and qualities of an inclusive leader, examining how HR can support leaders to be more inclusive and help organisations create an inclusive environment and culture. Delivered by strategic HR practitioners, the conference programme included an exciting line up of 27 international speakers from 12 countries across the Commonwealth, featuring a mix of presentations and panel discussions. In addition to Umar’s address, delegates discussed how to meet the many challenges facing HR professionals working in Higher Education today, as well as exploring opportunities for the profession in the future. Activities throughout the conference were guided by four sub-themes, which had been identified by HR practitioners from universities across the Commonwealth as their key priorities: HR as a strategic partner Exploring how HR can transform into a more effective resource for the organisation, enhance its credibility, evolve into a strategic partner, and align business objectives with university goals. Leadership and capacity building Building the capacity to effect change and fulfil the University's mission, engaging and inspiring teams to get the best results, and creating participatory and collaborative processes that develop the abilities of the next generation of leaders. HR in the digital age The impact of technology on human resource management; using digital HR tools and approaches to recruit, develop, and retain a talented workforce, and the changing role of people management in the digital era. HR operational excellence Developing an HR analytics framework to drive strategy, becoming a proactive, collaborative business partner; transforming operations using organisational design theory, identifying and adopting world-class capabilities, and delivering maximum value from your HR function. Returning from the conference Umar described it as being a part of positive change in the Higher Education Sector: “It was fantastic to be asked to represent BGU at the Association of Commonwealth Universities Global HR conference. I met some wonderful colleagues from around the world and it enabled me to share best practice on inclusive leadership in the HE sector. “It also gave me an opportunity to talk about some of the great things we are doing here at BGU. I look forward to the next ACU conference in 2020” The staff and academics at BGU are regularly invited to present at conferences around the world, you can follow all their travels on our news page and find out how you can start your own adventures on our course pages. -
Charity Coffee Morning a Resounding Success
The team behind the BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) recently participated in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, Macmillan Cancer Support’s biggest fundraising event. The event brought staff, students and BG Futures businesses together to bake cakes, drink coffee and, most importantly, raise funds for Macmillan. With everyone’s support £240 was raised in total, going a small way to helping everyone living with cancer to live life as fully as they can. Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager was delighted to see the university community come together in support of the charity: “It was great to see so many staff, students and BG Futures tenants come together to raise funds for such a great cause” The BG Futures team would like to extend their thanks to all that supported their event and invite them to join BG Futures at their next event on the 13th of December where they will be raising funds for ‘Save the Children’ by encouraging everyone to donate £2 to wear their favourite Christmas jumper. You can find more information on all the fundraising activities being carried out by members of the BGU community on our news page. For more information on all these events and how you can get involved contact the BG Futures team at enterprise@bishopg.ac.uk. -
BG Futures Tenant Case Study - Reflective Therapies Ltd.
By Cassie Rainey, BG Futures Administrator BG Futures is Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) is Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) purpose built business incubation centre. The centre provides office space, facilities and business expertise to people wishing to start up their own businesses. This month we sat down with one of our tenants, James O’Shea, a UKCP registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and talked to him about his business Reflective Therapies Ltd. as well as his experiences as an entrepreneur. James worked in the NHS for 30 years and for the last 11 as a Senior Adult Psychotherapist at the Lincoln Dynamic Psychotherapy Centre. After he was made redundant from this role in 2016, James took the exciting (and frightening) leap to becoming a business owner. He now operates through Reflective Therapies Ltd. offering individual, couples and group Psychotherapy to adults. Additionally, James had the opportunity to teach 3rd year Psychology undergraduates as an Associate Lecturer at The University of Lincoln for two years; expanding his skill set into academia. At first James found it difficult to assimilate to self-employed life, particularly when trying to understand jargon business terms and fully adapting a business owner mind-set. He did however refine his knowledge through great support in the business community, as well as that offered by BG Futures. Although he had met with adversity, the benefits of being self-employed were clear to James; receiving word-of-mouth recommendations from clients gave him the opportunity to build a strong client base, as well as providing a needed boost to the start of his self-employed journey that continues through to today. Looking back on his experiences over the last two years James’ advice was budding entrepreneurs to take the plunge: “I would encourage anybody to not be scared to try starting their own business. Reflective Therapies Ltd. has been given the chance to grow and thrive thanks to the platform BG Futures has given the business; through great opportunities and helpful staff, passionate about business growth.” For Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures, following James’ journey has been incredibly rewarding: “It’s great to see businesses such as James’ flourish during their time with us at BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre. James’ work is vital in assisting individuals to move forward in life and we are pleased to have been able to offer him an environment in which has supported his success." If you’d like to know more about James and Reflective Therapies Ltd. you can visit his website or if you’re keen to follow in his footsteps and begin your own business contact the BG Futures team today. -
BGU Teenage Market Celebrates its Second Anniversary
The Lincoln Teenage Market, organised by BG Futures at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), once again took over part of Lincoln’s City Centre offering young entrepreneurs the opportunity to take their first steps in the business world this month. This particular event marked two important milestones. Not only was it the Lincoln Teenage Market’s two year anniversary, it was the tenth Teenage Market that organisers Nikki Smith, BG Futures Careers, Employability and Enterprise Advisor and Diane Haines Compliance Officer, have been involved with. For Nikki, the continued success and growth of the market has been incredibly rewarding: “It has been and is a real pleasure to work alongside my BGU colleagues and the wider community to develop the Lincoln Teenage Market. "Our traders and performers now range from ages 10 -29 years of age, and the excellent quality of their products and performances is inspiring to see. Alongside this we have seen a significant rise in BGU student engagement with the market; further reinforcing themselves as talented, enterprising, community driven individuals. "Above all it is very rewarding to see how their self-confidence has grown and continues to grow with every market.” The Market aims to create enterprising opportunities for both BGU students and the wider local community; offering the City’s future traders and business owners the chance to trial their entrepreneurial ideas in a physical retail space. Stallholders included entrepreneurs from the BGU Business (Team Entrepreneurship) course, in addition to students from Linkage and Lincoln College who exhibited their work as part of their coursework. The BG Futures Careers, Employability and Enterprise team are keen to work with the local community to continue to develop opportunities for all across the county. Alongside the colourful and creative stalls, visitors to the market were also treated to an energetic performance by the BGSU Dance Society who were commended by Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager, for their high energy, support for the market, and flair for public performance. The next Lincoln Teenage Market will be taking place on 1 December in the Lincoln City Square Co-op and it will be swiftly followed by another at the BGU Christmas Extravaganza on 2 December. If you would like to find out more information or perhaps get involved as a trader or performer at the next event, please contact the Teenage Market team at: teenagemarket@bishopg.ac.uk. Should you wish to talk to a member of the team about any other enterprise query then please email enterprise@bishopg.ac.uk. You can also follow Lincoln Teenage Market on Facebook. -
BGU Recycled-From-Rice Mugs Help Save the Planet, One Brew at a Time
A scheme to cut down on single-use products at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has proven a huge success with over 1000 Sustainable Coffee Mugs being snapped up by the University community. -
BGU Lecturer to be Keynote Speaker at TEDx Brayford Pool Women
Dr Elinor Vettraino is one of four women asked to speak at the inaugural TEDx Brayford Pool Women event. TEDWomen & TEDx Brayford Pool Women will celebrate how dynamic and diverse women across the world are showing up to face challenges head on, all while empowering each other to shape the future we all want to see. The theme chosen for the event is 'Showing Up', a concept that has certainly resonated with Elinor: "Showing Up is such a pertinent theme for us to be considering. For me, it is about the manner in which we show up at times when the opposite reaction is our natural choice. "So, how do we develop the ability to be present in a situation where the very act of doing that is painful? "It's an important lesson in resilience and one that our students in the Business and Enterprise area wrestle with all the time." Our academics are regularly invited to present at conferences and events around the world, you can follow all their travels on our news page and find out how you can start your own adventures on our course pages or by booking onto one of our Open Days.
Explore BGU
Browse our wide range of degree courses and find the perfect one for you.
Open days are the best way to find out what BGU has to offer.
Download your copy of our prospectus to find out more about life at BGU.