Recognition for flourishing student entrepreneurship
Startups supported by Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy creating hundreds of jobs
Catherine Foottit, right, receives the Highly Commended award from Emilee Simmons
The Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy (AREA) has been highly commended at a national awards ceremony after supporting student and graduate startups that have created hundreds of new jobs.
At the National Enterprise Educator Awards (NEEA) 2025, held in Manchester, AREA was shortlisted among the top three finalists for the Entrepreneurship Catalyst Award and received a Highly Commended recognition for its impact.
The award celebrates initiatives that enable pre-starts, start-ups, and growing ventures to thrive. AREA’s submission, Empowering NextGen Entrepreneurs at ARU, highlighted the academy’s work in embedding entrepreneurship across all subjects and campuses at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
AREA’s innovative approach combines embedding entrepreneurship into ARU courses, hands-on projects, and real-world experiences. The academy supports a wide range of ventures, from freelancers and social enterprises to healthcare and creative start-ups.
Students from all ARU subjects, ranging from Nursing to Education and Agriculture to Social Work, are encouraged to get involved, not just those studying business-related courses.
Since its inception two years ago, AREA has supported 123 graduate start-ups across diverse sectors, generating 399 jobs and over £6.8m in turnover.
AREA has also contributed to ARU becoming the first UK university to receive the full five-year NCEE Entrepreneurial University Award, and rising from 89th to 7th nationally for graduate start-ups.
“We are delighted to be recognised by these awards for our work in supporting student entrepreneurship and innovation.
“We are fully committed to ensuring enterprise and entrepreneurship remains accessible to all, providing our graduates with different and exciting career paths"
Professor Gary Packham, Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)