The University of Northampton - the UK's
no. 1 university for Social Enterprise
Social enterprise offers
a new way to do business that is animated by a social purpose. It aims to show
that businesses and markets can deliver social benefits and tackle difficult
social problems. Social enterprises represent a more creative capitalism that
can adapt business and the market to better address unmet social needs. They
trade products and services to further social and environmental goals.
The University of Northampton
defines social enterprise as 'Using market disciplines to achieve a social
outcome driven by social values'.
What
is the University's social enterprise vision?
Our vision is to be the UK's
leading university for social enterprise by 2015. We
have a strategic level commitment to support social enterprise and social
entrepreneurship.
What are our values?
Everything we do to help
achieve the vision, to be the Number One University for social enterprise, is
underpinned by three core values
1. Delivering
an enhanced student experience
2. Delivering
entrepreneurial, innovation and enterprise skills
3. Delivering
through our values social inclusion and social innovation
Read more
about our values
What
have been our achievements so far?
We have received international recognition
for our commitment to social innovation and entrepreneurship by being
designated a 'Changemaker Campus' by Ashoka U, making us the first UK university to be
awarded this honour, and one of the only 22 in the world to receive the
designation.
The University has also been awarded with the
UnLtd/Hefce award for 'Outstanding Higher Education Institution supporting
Social Entrepreneurship' in 2011, and has been named the Midlands most
'Enterprising University of the Year' for both 2011 and 2012, in recognition of
our work in social enterprise.
We are now widely recognized as the UK's no. 1 university for social
enterprise and are continuing to take new initiatives both within and outside
the university to maintain our leading status.
