The University of Liverpool has received funding to establish a new Centre for Enterprise from entrepreneur Sir Peter Rigby.
The Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise will transform student employability, raising the level of enterprise education and entrepreneurial skills development across the University community and Liverpool City Region with the aim of reaching 50,000 people within its 3-year pilot.
The gift of £1M from The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust presents a significant opportunity to transform enterprise activity at the University, underpinned by a new vision driven by Vice Chancellor Professor Tim Jones and supported by Sir Peter Rigby in his role as Honorary President for Enterprise.
The Centre will ensure more young people have the enterprise skills to thrive - whether they want to start their own business or be a talented employee. The Centre will support the work of the University to ensure that all staff and students have the skills they need to flourish - transforming Futures for people in the city region.
From offering funding to enterprising students who could not otherwise attend university, to lighting an entrepreneurial spark in the student population, to supporting the commercialisation of world changing innovations by our academics, The Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise will be a recognisable, central space for students and staff looking for support with ideas generation, guidance on business planning, or funding advice.
Sir Peter Rigby, founder and Chairman of Rigby Group and Honorary President for Enterprise at the University of Liverpool, commented: "Next year I celebrate 50 years of accelerating digital inclusion and innovation through various business interests and philanthropic pursuits. I'm honoured to lend my name and funding to The Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise, which is built on this ethos and reflects my personal and professional values around entrepreneurism and lifelong learning.
"The University of Liverpool has a rich history of innovation and academic excellence, and The Sir Peter Rigby Centre for Enterprise will help to create more opportunities for commercialisation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, further strengthening the University's positive impact for its students, academics, and the community."
University of Liverpool Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones said: "On behalf of the university, we are sincerely grateful to Sir Peter Rigby and The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust for considering this generous gift to support Enterprise in the City Region.
"We have seen a rise in the number of students engaging in start-up, and enterprise activity is growing, suggesting there is a greater appetite from all parts of our student body. In the past year, we have had approximately 1,500 students engaging in our personalised start-up support service, and around 1,100 have participated in our curricular embedded enterprise programme. I look forward to seeing the Centre in the heart of campus, increasing collaboration across different areas of the University and generating greater impact to the region."
