You ENcourage students to succeed

Empowering future generations to shape healthier, more sustainable cities

Edinburgh Napier University is a founding member, and the only UK university, of the Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance (U!REKA) – a Europe-wide group of over 30 institutions supporting ambitious collaboration, education, and research, with a focus on developing sustainable urban areas of the future. U!REKA aims to educate the “European professionals of tomorrow” by working across borders, utilising the expertise of its partners to deliver uniquely valuable learning experiences.

This year, the flexibility of the ENcourage Fund made it possible for four Edinburgh Napier students to join a U!REKA Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) in Helsinki. Bridging the gap in support left by the UK’s withdrawal from the Erasmus+ scheme in 2020, ENcourage support ensured students did not miss out on an invaluable international learning opportunity. As uncertainty of traditional funding routes increases, donor support is more crucial than ever to enable students to access transformative opportunities such as this.

U!REKA BIPs respond to the urgent need for today’s students in higher education to address complex urban, social, and environmental challenges by developing practical, transferable, and context-sensitive skills that empower learners to act meaningfully in diverse professional and societal roles.

Our students joined more than 60 others from Germany, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK, to explore co-creative practice and build their abilities to work across cultures, sectors, and perspectives. International experiences such as this are critical for fostering the mutual understanding and cross-border collaboration essential to addressing shared global challenges such as creating healthier, more sustainable cities.

Your support provides access to learning experiences of profound impact

Skills for a sustainable world 

The week of collaboration, creativity, and cultural exchange, saw our students work in multidisciplinary teams to explore “ethics in transforming co‑creative practice” and to present their work on the shared theme of “common ground”, boosting their skills and understanding of the power of co-creation and collaboration to deliver transformative change, and helping to prepare them to be leading professionals and global citizens.

“Being immersed in an environment that supports international collaboration was a real eye‑opener; learning from the perspectives of peers in other countries – what’s working, what’s not, what they’ve tried – was a unique and significant experience. I came home with much more confidence to explore, question, and interrogate project design.” 

Robbie, Year 4, Business Management with Marketing

“It broadened my outlook and strengthened my determination to pursue new innovations and solutions that help us live in a more sustainable world. It’s been invaluable – an international work experience I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Thank you for the opportunity to travel and learn.” 

Jess, Year 4, Business Management

Encouraging participation: how you are enhancing student experience

Joining a sport club or student society is not just about enjoyment – the experience can help to set students on the path to success. “We know that students gain wide ranging benefits through engagement in clubs and societies, including improved wellbeing, greater confidence, and resilience,” explains Tony Foster, CEO of Edinburgh Napier Students Association (ENSA). “Participation can also build skills for life and future employment, and we know it boosts student retention as well.”

This is why, over the past academic year, the Students’ Association and the University have worked closely to strengthen student sport and societies. As a result, participation has grown significantly, with a 40% increase in student involvement in sport and a 20% rise in society membership.

Your support is strengthening Edinburgh Napier’s student sport and societies

“The Students’ Association has increased its financial support for clubs and societies – investment made possible in part through alumni donations to the ENcourage Fund,” Tony explains. “We are reinvesting this support directly into the clubs and societies that many donors once belonged to.”

ENcourage support is helping to fund the kit, equipment and resources our student clubs and societies need to enhance what they do, as well as helping with travel costs to matches and competitions for example. “We want participation to be as affordable as possible, and this ENcourage funding is vital in supporting that aim,” comments Austen Brunton, Sabbatical Officer with responsibility for Sport. “Alumni support is making a tangible difference and has contributed to unprecedented growth in a short time.”

This year, your support has helped fund training goals for Futsal and Archery, goalkeeper equipment for Hockey and Rugby, and supported the launch of new clubs, including Swimming and Surf.

"Participation has grown significantly, with a 40% increase in student involvement in sport and a 20% rise in society membership."

Unforgettable opportunities 

“For me, sport has been a key part of my time at Edinburgh Napier,” Austen explains. “I’ve spent four years with the Men’s Hockey Club, finishing my final year as President. That experience has given me a real understanding of the challenges clubs face, and as a sabbatical officer, led me to focus on helping clubs grow, as well as removing barriers to participation, and strengthening the overall student sport experience across the University."

Leadership and life skills

Meeting new people from different countries and backgrounds, through sports or club event activities, can open up perspectives and build communication and life skills that really matter. Evans Eghan, ENSA President (Societies & Community), has helped to create these kinds of opportunity by devising ambitious and successful events in the past year including a Napier Student Film Festival, while Chika Marvis, ENSA Co-President (Education and Employability), created UNIFORCE 2025, a flagship, student-led employability initiative connecting five Scottish universities to deliver sustainability projects.

“I set out to establish an event that connected with other university student bodies and bring students together to work on local real-world challenges and then pitch their proposals in a funded competition,” Chika explains. UNIFORCE 2025 engaged 15 interuniversity project teams who worked collaboratively on innovative ideas under the theme ‘Projects for a Sustainable Scotland’. The event was kindly supported by Unison as part of their Year of Green Activity.

“Our Film Festival featured short films created by talented students from Edinburgh Napier and other universities around the world,” explains Evans. The event also involved screenwriting masterclasses, panel discussions, and networking opportunities.

“UNIFORCE gave me the chance to apply my learning in real world settings and see the difference I could make. The support, training, and opportunities were exceptional. I developed leadership, communication, and problem solving skills that I know will stay with me long after graduation.”

Ariakpoze, MSc Environmental Sustainability

“Being part of the social media campaign for the film festival was a fun and memorable experience. It was great to work with such a creative team and see how everyone’s ideas came together. I learned a lot about how much teamwork and planning go into making a festival happen. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to get hands on experience like this.”

Fiona, MSc Marketing with Festival and Event Management