Moffat Centre
The Moffat Centre is an incubator space for students and graduates of Edinburgh Napier who want to set up and run their own businesses. It is an extension of the teaching work of the Institute for Entrepreneurship whose modules are taught across the university. The first Moffat Centre was established in 2003, initially at Craighouse before moving to Craiglockhart when the new Business School opened. In 2008 we opened a second Moffat Centre at our Merchiston Campus. Our aim is to encourage all Edinburgh Napier students and graduates to consider self-employment as a realistic choice.
To date the Centre has been supported by the university and a range of philanthropic donors who share the vision of ‘planting the seed and fostering the growth of entrepreneurial spirit’. The majority of the funding came from the Moffat Charitable Trust. The Centre provides dedicated (and free) office space as well as start-up and ongoing business advice. The benefits for students, working beside others with a similar entrepreneurial vision in a supportive environment, are crucial.
This academic year has been another busy and successful period for the Moffat Centre. Despite the current recession we are still supporting students and graduates to start-up their own businesses. We have seen an increase in the number of students and graduates enquiring about opportunities in entrepreneurship. As well as 17 new start-up businesses, we have had an increase in the number of students involved in Moffat Centre activities. The Moffat Centres at Craiglockhart and Merchiston continue to be the hub of student entrepreneurial activity at Edinburgh Napier.
Progress so far...
The Moffat Centre has assisted 112 businesses to start up. Of these, 84 are still active. The students who set up these businesses were divided among the faculties as follows:
- Business School – 43%
- Engineering, Computing & Creative Industries – 33%
- Health, Life & Social Sciences – 24%
So far in this academic year, we have signed up 71 new students to use the Moffat Centre facilities, and we expect these students will be using the incubation space and business advisory services to research and plan out ideas. 17 new businesses have been started.
Our series of seminars, workshops and events have been attended by over 200 students, which is an increase from previous years. Moffateers also have access to a calendar of events and networking opportunities both in-house and through our network of external contacts such as the Small Business Club, Johnston Carmichael, Harper McLeod and Santander etc. For example, our hosting of the Small Business Club allows us to bring local businesses onto the campus to network with our students and graduate entrepreneurs. The free advice provided at our legal and accounting clinics has also been extremely important for the businesses.
As well as utilising the expertise within the university, we also have a wider network of contacts from Business Gateway, HMRC, Scottish Institute for Enterprise, Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust, and Shell Livewire etc.
This year the Moffat Centre has taken the lead in Edinburgh Napier’s participation in a Scottish Government pilot scheme promoting Social Enterprise in Higher Education.
The Scottish Government has provided a small grant which will be used to run a one-day of BYOBIZ specifically for Social Enterprises. The event will take place during Global Entrepreneurship Week (15-21 November 2010).
Some notable achievements
This year has seen a number of our Moffateers rewarded for their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. Here are some examples:
- The Social Enterprise Sector Award at the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE) New Ideas competition 2010 was won by Business Management student, Callum Graham, for his business, Charitable Student Recruitment, which provides student recruits for charities.
- The Creative Industries Sector Award in the SIE New Ventures competition was won by Screen Academy graduate Tom Duncan for All the Rage.
- The Edinburgh Napier leg of the New Ventures competition was won by Justyna Chmurzynska for her social enterprise, PS Magazine, which is a bilingual magazine seeking to bring together the Scottish and Polish communities in Fife.
- Accountancy student, Pamela Haining, won the Edinburgh Napier leg of the New Ideas competition for her online accounting service, Office Badger, and was also a winner in the Shell LiveWire Grand Ideas competition.
- Peter MacLean, Foodie Boxes, another Moffat Business entrepreneur, won the Growth and Development Award in Travel and Tourism at the Moffat/PSYBT awards.
- The Santander Entrepreneurship Prize was won by Chantel McGrath for her business, Avena Consultants.
Moffat Centre alumni also make a contribution to the teaching of the Institute for Entrepreneurship by coming back to tell students about their businesses and by participating in student research projects. This contact with our successful businesses is a great inspiration for future entrepreneurs but the willingness of Moffat Centre alumni to give something back is also an indication of the great value they put on the support they received from the Centre. There are some testimonials from Moffat Centre alumni with our Moffat Centre Businesses.
How can we help you?
Two dedicated office facilities, at the Craiglockhart campus (room 1/05) and Merchiston (room L14), open 7 days a week, from where students and graduates can plan and run their businesses for free. They have 9 and 6 PC workstations respectively, colour + black/white printers, telephones / fax, storage and stationery. The businesses formed are owned 100% by the students / graduates.
Start-up and ongoing advice from Edinburgh Napier staff and external advisers is available. Each student/ graduate is allocated an appropriate adviser to guide them. There is also a 4 day programme that supports students to prepare an accelerated business plan.
If you are interested in the Santander Entrepreneurship Prize, please have a look at the entry criteria.
For further information please contact:
Nick Fannin
Moffat Centre
219 Colinton Road
Edinburgh
EH14 1DJ
Tel: 0131 455 6812
Fax: 0131 455 4285
Email: n.fannin@napier.ac.uk
Examples of some of the businesses supported.