Norwich Business School (NBS) has been praised for its exceptional commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and small business engagement in the region, with news of a 5-year accreditation of its Small Business Charter.
The award acknowledges the role that NBS plays in helping businesses and enterprise in the region by delivering bespoke business friendly education and research that has helped dozens of companies learn, grow, expand and thrive.
This includes bespoke consultancy advice to businesses via the Help to Grow programme. Since 2023, NBS has successfully delivered the programme to over 100 SMEs, with 120 managers and business owners participating across six cohorts. This initiative has not only provided valuable learning experiences but has also fostered strong, long-term relationships between NBS and the SMEs supported.
Professor Amir Sharif, Head of Norwich Business School, said:
“I am extremely happy with the news that Norwich Business School has been able to achieve the full 5-year reaccreditation for the Small Business Charter (SBC), receiving 100% attainment against all 29 criteria of the accreditation.
“This reaccreditation serves to highlight our strong commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, and working closely with small businesses, ensuring our curriculum design, has real external engagement, and its impact is evaluated.
“This will motivate us to continue enhancing our work with businesses via our applied research excellence to deepen our support for the local and regional economy.”
Flora Hamilton, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter and CEO of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, said:
“Congratulations to University of East Anglia, Norwich Business School on their reaccreditation with the Small Business Charter. By working closely with local and regional stakeholders, they create real impact and equip future business leaders with the skills to drive innovation and growth. We are pleased to recognise their excellence with this reaccreditation.
“I am excited to continue championing the next cohorts of Help to Grow and driving further impact for businesses and entrepreneurs.”
The assessors’ and Small Business Board (SBC) board feedback mentioned respectively that:
“The application for the reassessment demonstrates an exceptional commitment to fostering entrepreneurship, enterprise, and small business engagement within the institution. Across all dimensions, the evidence provided is robust, comprehensive, and reflective of a dynamic and well-integrated approach to supporting entrepreneurial education and activity.
“The strong alignment between institutional strategy, curriculum design, external engagement, and impact evaluation highlights a mature and effective ecosystem for enterprise development, making this application particularly compelling.”
99.7% of Norfolk and Suffolk’s business base is made up of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and micro businesses, additionally the number of AI businesses in the East is 8% higher than in every other area of the country. NBS is a major provider of advice and consultancy to businesses as they seek to scale, grow and navigate the challenges of the local and world economy by accessing expert business education and research.
Company testimonials about the Help to Grow programme
Inspiralis Ltd – Inspiralis is a contract research organisation and enzyme supplier, specialising in DNA modifying enzymes that supports those looking for novel anti-infective and anti-cancer compounds.
Dr Natassja Bush, Managing Director, said:
“I have a much better understanding of what our value proposition is and who our ideal customer is. I also feel like a better leader and what I need to do to help the company grow.”
Idenfo – Idenfo is an AML (anti-money laundering) solution and services company that offers a range of consultancy, managed services and software solutions to aid financial institutions fight financial crime. Founded in 2019 the company operates primarily in the United Kingdom, UAE, Qatar and Pakistan.
Antony Bellingal Co founder of Idenfo, said:
“When you are the founder of a business it’s very easy to think that your own method of doing things is the right way to do it. Coming to do a course with academics with practical experience really can help challenge your opinions. Another part of the course was having a mentor and he often challenged my assumptions and I found that very helpful. I’d definitely recommend the course, I felt more complete as a manager.”
Collen & Clare – Collen & Clare is a multi-brand independent retailer of men’s and women’s clothing based in the destination seaside town of Southwold in Suffolk. Regularly quoted as being ‘one of the top 50 boutiques’ in the country we enjoy a reputation for great customer service and an edit of over 100 brands.
Vanessa Collen, Managing Director of Collen & Clare, said:
“I went into the programme wanting to grow my customer base but came out of it with a plan to work more closely with the customers I already have. On the advice of the work done with UEA I surveyed my customers to ask them what they think of us then implemented some investment projects into our technology platforms. But all of this comes from the opportunities the programme gave me to access resources, skills and advice that I had no idea existed.”