Enterprise and Entrepreneurial skills are highly valued by employers as they will will enable you to seize opportunities, be creative and develop problem solving skills. It is one of the 19 Graduate Attributes which the University hopes that you will have developed by the end of your studies.
Get involved
There are hundreds of opportunities to be enterprising while you are at university – you are only limited by your imagination. Students have typically used an enterprising mindset to create new societies, raise funds for charities, become involved in social action projects and change the way courses are delivered.
If you need some inspiration to get you started, read some stories of successful entrepreneurial projects on the Firstport website.
Starting a business
What do you do if you have spotted a gap in the market and want to develop a business you can run while you are at university – or just after? Who can answer your questions about initial startup, funding, tax, marketing and ongoing support?
The University of Aberdeen has its own dedicated service, ABVentures, which offer students, alumni and staff advice and support for starting a business or social enterprise. ABVentures are your first point of contact to help you develop your ideas, signpost to funding, support you through start-up competitions and ensure you are in contact with the right people and organisations. Start your journey by emailing abventures@abdn.ac.uk.
There are several additional agencies who provide support to students and recent graduates:
- Business Gateway offer start up advice, funding and support as well as free seminars to get you started.
- The Prince’s Trust (Scotland) provides support and finance to young people aged 18-30. Support includes business start up advice and business mentoring as you get your business off the ground.
- UnLtd aims to help and support young people who want to create a business where the profits will be used to support initiatives in the community, ie a social enterprise.
Events
ABVentures partners with local business experts to deliver engaging workshops and networking events aimed at equipping current students and recent graduates with valuable entrepreneurial skills, as well as building their self-reliance and employability. Check out our latest events to discover opportunities for you to participate in.
Competitions
Want to test your idea for a business before you commit yourself? Then enter a competition and see what others think.
The following competitions are promoted by ABVentures:
- Lightbulb - business idea competition for University of Aberdeen students run by ABVentures
- Santander Universities Entrepreneurship Award
- Elevator Accelerator
- The Converge Challenge
Further competitions that you may also be interested in:
- Future 100 Awards
- Leonard Cheshire Disability - The Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs
- NACUE National Varsity Pitch Competition
- NatWest everywoman Awards
- Startups Awards
- Student Competitions
Further Information
For queries regarding the practical aspects of starting a business or to discuss your ideas email ABVentures abventures@abdn.ac.uk .
You can find links to a wide range of useful self-employment materials in our resources section.