University of Manchester Student Selected for Prestigious Enterprise Programme
Date: July. 23rd. 2007
Marcus Haggers, a student at the University of Manchester, has been chosen as one of 14 aspiring entrepreneurs to take part in the NCGE-Kauffman Entrepreneurship Fellowship. The award builds on Marcus’s previous achievement of winning the University Venture Out award (pictured).
The Fellows programme, now in its second year, takes the best entrepreneurial talent from UK universities and links them with the entrepreneurial environment in America. The purpose of the Fellowship is to encourage UK graduates to develop scalable high impact businesses.
The Fellowship consists of:
- 6 months spent in the UK where Fellows work with their sponsor university to develop their science, technology or engineering business idea.
- 6 months in the US as Kauffman Global Scholars where they work with top entrepreneurial universities and intern in leading innovative companies.
Each of the graduates selected as Fellows are pursuing engineering, science, or technology degrees or post graduate studies and secured their places on the programme after a rigorous application process which required that they be sponsored by their university and then pitch their business concept to an interview panel.
Marcus, currently studying a Masters in Enterprise (MEnt) Computer Science, plans to develop a biomedical engineering company which will provide amputees and tetraplegics with a device to enable them to have full, natural control of their prosthetic limbs. Marcus will be advised by his mentor Dr Robert Phillips from the University of Manchester Science Enterprise Centre (MSEC) throughout the programme.
This year’s Fellowship began with an event held on the 11th and 12th July, where the participants met with the NCGE, the Kauffman Foundation, and other business and enterprise experts to discuss the first steps they need to take to get their business ideas underway.
Commenting on his expectations for the programme, Marcus said:
“The Fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for me to start learning all I need to know about the business world and how I can make my idea a reality. I am excited to work with the NCGE and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to gain a clear understanding of what it will take for my business to succeed and to start taking those steps. When I return from the States I plan to set up my business in the local area and am looking forward to developing a knowledge driven business in the biomedical area in my region.”
Ian Robertson, Chief Executive of the NCGE, commented:
“Congratulations to Marcus for being selected as part of this year’s Fellowship programme. During the application process, he demonstrated commitment to his business idea and the determination needed to succeed. Many of last year’s participants are now well on their way to running established businesses, and we expect this year’s talented group will follow suit.”
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