Develop your business idea

We provide a full advisory service covering all aspects of idea development, business creation and growth. Staff, students, and qualifying alumni with an idea, new business venture or desire to explore research commercialisation, can arrange a 1-2-1 appointment all year round.

SEED (Student Enterprise Enhanced Development) is our pre-accelerator bootcamp offering intense skill-building, company creation education and support to a small cohort of eligible aspiring founders over a six-week period.

Are you passionate about developing your business idea? Have you been attending our open Develop Stream workshops, met with the team's business advisor, and believe you have a viable business model? Then SEED could be just what you need to accelerate the development of your promising venture!

Running from May to June 2024, SEED consists of weekly one-to-one business mentorship, bespoke training sessions, peer-to-peer learning, and access to professional advice and grant funding. You’ll also be part of a tight-knit community of like-minded aspiring founders.

Online applications for the 2024 SEED cohort will open on 1 April 2024, and close on 22 April 2024. The programme will run over six weeks during May and June 2024 with activities taking place both in-person on campus and online.

Successful applicants should be available for approximately three hours each week over the programme's duration. The programme is open to applications from individuals and teams with any type of business venture (this includes social, community, and creative enterprises in addition to for-profit business models).

For full details about the SEED 2024 programme and eligibility criteria, please email enterprise@stir.ac.uk for an informal conversation.

The Enterprise Programme works collaboratively with Converge, whose purpose is to inspire, empower and equip staff, students and recent graduates of all Scottish universities to springboard their business ideas into commercial reality.

Converge train 100 aspiring founders each year, through four Challenge categories tailored to developing businesses across all sectors and at various stages of development.  They provide participants with the tools, confidence and validation to turn pioneering ideas into viable businesses through intensive business training, 1-2-1 support, generous equity-free cash prizes and expert, professional advice from a roster of industry partners.

If you’re an innovative thinker with a great idea for a business or want to find a way to commercialise your research, let the Enterprise and Converge teams support your aspirations. For information on upcoming training opportunities at the University of Stirling, please email enterprise@stir.ac.uk and visit Converge for full details of their offering.

Get inspired by the academic entrepreneurial stories of Converge alumni with the Converge Challenge podcasts.

The UKVI has recently changed visa routes for entrepreneurs, including ending the Start-up visa route.  For international students and alumni interested in self-employment or starting a business in the UK, please visit UKVI’s website for detailed information or contact the University of Stirling’s Student Immigration and Visa Services Team to inquire about the Graduate visa route.