Edinburgh's Napier University and Women's Enterprise Scotland team up for new initiative fostering female entrepreneurship

Edinburgh’s Napier University and Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) have unveiled the new collaboration seeing the creation of the SDG5 Living Lab, providing tailored training, cutting-edge resources, and networking opportunities for females looking to start a business or further their careers.

They add that the new initiative will not just draw on Napier’s research expertise, it will also be supported by its entrepreneur in residence and WES chair Lynne Cadenhead, “who made her name as a serial entrepreneur, tech sector leader, and investor”.

The initiative is designed to advance the fifth Sustainable Development Goal known as SDG5 set out by the United Nations in 2015, which is gender equality and includes targets to end all forms of discrimination against women, and ensure their equal rights to economic resources and leadership.

Those behind the SDG5 Living Lab also say that while women-led businesses already contribute £8.8 billion to the Scottish economy every year, progress “is at risk of stalling”, adding that the number of firms led by women declined to 14 per cent in 2019 from 20.6 per cent in 2017.

The new venture will be delivered by Napier’s enterprise hub Bright Red Triangle, with the first sessions set to be held later this month, and initial courses aiming to develop participants’ skills around business-creation and leadership.

Cadenhead said: "As an Edinburgh Napier graduate, and now a Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence, I'm thrilled to bridge academia and industry, fostering a culture of innovation that empowers women in business.

"The power of education and entrepreneurship will be pivotal in reshaping the narrative for gender equality. The SDG5 Living Lab embodies our commitment to driving tangible change for women, by combining research and innovation. The training delivered by [WES] is informed by over a decade of research, which means that recipients benefit from world-class expertise in the field of women’s entrepreneurship.”

Nick Fannin, head of enterprise at Bright Red Triangle, said: "The establishment of the SDG5 Living Lab marks a significant milestone in our commitment to gender equality and societal impact. This collaboration allows us to harness the collective expertise of [Napier] and [WES] to drive meaningful change. Our vision is to cultivate an environment conducive to entrepreneurial success among women, nurturing the next generation of women leaders and innovators."

Fannin cheered the news at the start of this year of Cadenhead (credited with more than 25 years of entrepreneurial, equity investment and policy experience, also recently named chief operating officer at Scottish investment syndicate Tricapital Angels) being announced as the university’s entrepreneur in residence. He said: “Lynne’s incredible personal experience in building companies and her commitment to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurial women aligns perfectly with Edinburgh Napier’s mission to nurture and support the women in our university community, enabling them to have real impact in their academic careers, and to commercialise their research.”