University Competitions

Apply for up to £3,000 to fund your enterprise competition.

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University Competitions

EIBF supports more than 50 universities across the UK to run enterprise competitions for engineers and scientists. 

Universities are awarded up to £3,000 to fund their competitions to help undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students develop a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Thousands of students take part in EIBF-funded competitions each year, enabling them to gain more commercial skills to take forward into their careers. 

University Competitions in 23/24

  • £96,500 awarded to universities
  • 4,172 participating engineers and scientists
  • 336,771 students receiving business education message

How it works

  • Universities apply to EIBF to fund their competition prior to it starting.
  • Competitions can be curricular or extra-curricular, new or existing.
  • Competitions do not need to be adapted in any way as a result of being funded by EIBF. However, universities should promote it to encourage more students to take part.
  • Only engineering, science and biomedical students are eligible to receive EIBF prize money (though teams are eligible if they include at least one of these students).
  • Competitions with 20 or more eligible students will be able to claim £3,000 in prize money. Competitions with fewer than 20 eligible students will be able to claim £1,000 in prize money.

  • Usually, prizes are awarded to teams or individuals who come first, second and third. However, it is up to individual universities how prize money is divided. See how other universities do it.
  • The funding must be used for prize money only. It cannot be used for administrative purposes.
  • On completion of a report, which must include good quality images of the competition and winners as well as a breakdown of eligible participants, EIBF will pay the prize money directly to the universities and promote each competition on its website, newsletter and social media channels.
  • As well as receiving prize money, competition winners can also receive invaluable mentoring from the successful SMF community.

University Partners

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