News & Events

A weekend of outdoor adventure and entrepreneurial skills awaits students at the EIRA Start-Up Weekender on Friday 15th March. In collaboration with partner universities and colleges, the EIRA project are offering accommodation, transport, and food at Hilltop Outdoor Centre for 3 days of teamwork, creative thinking and developing entrepreneurial skills.

EIRA is a collaborative project between seven universities and colleges in the East of England and is funded by Research England’s Connecting Capabilities Fund. The project seeks to drive growth and innovation in the region by connecting businesses with academic expertise. The University of Essex as the lead partner, the University of East Anglia, University of Kent, Harlow College, Writtle University College, Norwich College of the Arts and the University of Suffolk have joined forces to support businesses across three themes: Digital Creative, Biotechnology and Artificial Intelligence.

The EIRA Start-Up Weekender is open to 80 students across EIRA partner institutions who are looking for something a bit different to kick start their entrepreneurial skills.  Accommodation, transport and food are all included in this weekend-long event, where students will work in teams towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The event creates opportunities to generate ideas and work on business development, with a chance for students to pitch for prizes with their ideas. Alongside this, the group will make the most of the Hilltop Outdoor Centre and take part in archery, high ropes, abseiling and more! This event is free to attend, but a deposit is required which will be refunded after the event.

If you’re a student at an EIRA partner institution and you’re interested in attending, contact your University or College to find out how to apply. The deadline to apply is Friday 15th February.