Published by Chloe Chadwick
Published Date 09.12.2019 
The Masood Enterprise Centre (MEC) at The University of Manchester, the largest single campus university in the UK, is the first Higher Education institution to become an official patron of the prestigious Educate North Awards which were founded in 2015 and celebrate the world class achievements of the sector across the North.
The 2020 awards are now open for entries (www.educatenorth.co.uk) and will be staged at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel on the evening of 23rd April 2020.
The Masood Enterprise Centre will support the organisation and promotion of the awards as well as its two spin-off competitions for entrepreneurs The University Entrepreneurs Challenge (UEC) and next year the University Entrepreneurs Grant (UEG) which will see four students, graduates or academics pitch a bright idea in front of the awards audience and potentially walk away with a cash prize of £1000 to invest in a full business plan.
The awards also celebrate improvement and excellence in the Further Education sector and in Sixth Forms – the organisers announced that Heart Yorkshire, Smooth North West and Smooth North East will be official Radio Partners and will run on air campaigns for the event over the next 2 years.
‘Educate-North has grown rapidly to become a highly competitive and sought-after endorsement of change, improvement and excellence in the higher and further education, and Sixth Form sectors’ said Deputy Director of MEC Tony Walker
‘It is vital that we support enterprise education and student start-ups for the growth and prosperity of the North at a time of economic uncertainty. The awards showcase the important research and development undertaken across the education sector and we are proudly committing our support over the next three years.’
He concluded; ‘As Manchester accelerates our support for new entrepreneurs we are also delighted to support the two smart entrepreneurial competitions which Educate North has spawned and are developing’.
Dr John Kennedy CBE (www.johnkennedycbe.com) who co-founded the awards with broadcaster Rob McLoughlin said today; ‘MEC and The University of Manchester’s backing and endorsement reflects its pioneering roots and also its wider responsibilities to be a trail blazer for not just its immediate environment but for the entire north’.
‘We are delighted that it is our first institutional patron as we open the door to welcome others on board so that this showcase and initiative can now expand and present the achievements of the north’s university and full education sector to the wider country and especially the decision makers in Whitehall and Westminster’.
