If you have recently registered a business or as self-employed, claim £500 for your costs.
The Start-Up Fund is designed to reimburse you for the costs which you have already incurred. If you need to make purchases for your business, we have provided a handy shopping list below which you can use to purchase and claim back. You will also gain access to the University of Birmingham start-up/freelance community and feature on our University of Birmingham Start-Up directory. The Start-Up Fund is available throughout academic year 2023/24
To apply, you will need to have a registered business or be registered as self-employed from August 2023 onwards and be able to provide receipts to support your application.
This versatile fund has been tailored with you in mind. You can apply for a variety of start-up costs including; website creation, domain hosting, business cards, marketing and even the cost of registering your UK business.
Make a claim without the hassle: There are no deadline dates for applying and you can apply without having an interview (just a simple follow up phonecall) leaving you free to move your business idea forward.
Please note, if your application is successful we will be in touch after you receive the funds to follow up your progress and work with you to generate a start-up blog or case study. This is a requirement of the funding so please take this into consideration when applying for the funding.
How funding has helped others
See how previous recipients benefitted from funding and support from B-Enterprising below:
What start-up costs can I claim?
Use our quick guide below to identify your start-up costs:
Accessible version of the Start-up cost guide infographic
Marketing
- Branding and Design
- Marketing activity
- Market research
Business Admin
- Company registration
- Insurance
- Memberships
Legal
- Advice
- Copyrighting and trademarks
- Intellectual property
Materials
- Raw materials
- Business Equipment
- Branded materials
Website and App
- Domain name
- Web hosting
- App development
Apply for the Start-Up Fund
You can apply for the Start-Up Fund anytime throughout the year subject to our Terms and Conditions. Make an application now by completing the online form below:
Start-Up Fund: Terms and Conditions
- You can only apply if your business/self-employment has been registered at the start of this academic year (2023/24). Unfortunately, we are unable to accept claims for businesses which have been registered before 1 August 2023.
- The claim must be for £500.
- This is open to current University of Birmingham students and recent graduates (up to two years of graduation)
- The claim must be made for a business/self-employment registered in your own name.
- Due to visa restrictions on starting a business in the UK, this is only available to students from the UK. International students looking to start a business in the UK after graduation can contact the B-Enterprising Team for more information.
- This scheme is limited to an allocated overall amount. Once all the allocated money has been spent then all subsequent funding will be stopped.
- Funding cannot be used to purchase: desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones or equipment for direct resale.
- You can upload receipts via the application form. Please ensure receipts are dated within this academic year from 1 August 2022, and in your own name. Please note, we do not accept receipts under £10 in value as part of your claim.
- An informal phonecall will take place once the application is received to clarify details and understand your business in more detail.
- It is a requirement of the funding that you agree to provide a blog/case study for the B-Enterprising team to help promote your idea, the team will assist you with creating this and there is a template available to use. We can also host your registered business on the UoB Business Directory on request.
- Service Level Agreement: We will review your application and respond within 2 weeks. The outcome of your application will be decided and you will be informed of the decision within 4 weeks. If your application is successful, please note that the UoB Finance Office can take up to 4 weeks to process payment.