No poverty

The University of Huddersfield is proud of its record in widening participation in higher education, enabling students, their families and communities to transform their lives. Further, the work of colleagues in developing sustainable communities and economies addresses the challenge of poverty regionally, nationally and internationally.

The University provides a £1000 grant to approximately 1000 of the least financially privileged of its new undergraduate students each year, potentially amounting to £1m of support.

As part of the Access and Participation process overseen by the Office for Students, the University sets and monitors targets for applicants and students in lower quintile of income (and more specifically of IMD), including on completion of their qualifications.

In addition to the financial support represented by the Huddersfield grant mentioned above, the University also offers support to address the deficit in the form of specific computing and IT resources for low income students. September 2021 saw the second implementation of an additional digital bursary, to enable students with fewer resources to purchase hardware and /or software and address issues with connectivity.

The University is also proud of its long-standing record in working with students from low and low-middle income countries. At present, the University is offering fee-reduction scholarships to many applicants to support participation from these countries resulting in high levels of participation relative to the UK HE sector as a whole, as indicated by the University’s market share, examples including:

• Pakistan 2%

• Vietnam 5%

• Egypt 2%

• Algeria 2%

• Nigeria 2%

• Bangladesh 1%

 

The University’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre is a centre for enterprise and innovation for businesses across the region, with a strong focus on SMEs. We help businesses to innovate, connect and grow through access to knowledge, support and technology, all contributing to regional economic growth and productivity. The Centre works with pioneering businesses to help develop ideas and solve issues; design and prototype new or improved products; facilitate high quality, high impact R&D; and support growth and success. The Centre promotes collaboration between the University and industry to create value, business growth and R&D opportunities.

The Centre includes a home for start-ups, allowing University students to create businesses in a well-supported environment. The Enterprise Hub provides hotdesking facilities including PCs and Macs, printing and copying, bookable meeting pods and a range of business books for loan.

The University’s research and knowledge transfer activity contributes to the Goal of No Poverty. One example is provided by the work of the Centre for Wetlands, Environment and Livelihoods,

connecting communities with sustainable economies, notably in sustainable coffee production. Another is the None-in-3 programme addressing gender-based violence and its implications, which include challenges to women and girls participating in economies across the continents addressed by the Institute, including in the Caribbean, Africa, and India.