In supporting Thailand to develop a nurturing ecosystem for social enterprise, the British Council has fostered UK-Thai collaboration on social enterprise policy, social investment and social enterprise education.
Recently it held a seminar titled “A Socially Enterprising University” in Chiang Mai. The speakers included Thailand’s minister of education as well as Ana Lemmo Charnalia, UCL Business’ social enterprise business manager, who spoke about how and why UCL is supporting social enterprise.
This inspired the following conversation about engagement between universities and social enterprise in the UK and further afield.
Could you tell us about your work?
Ana Lemmo Charnalia: My role at UCLB, UCL’s technology transfer office, is to support academic staff to develop social enterprise opportunities arising from their research by providing business support, proof of concept funding and contractual advice.
Many academic staff have gained inspiration to set up a social venture through their academic research, whether this was a direct outcome of their research findings, an indirect involvement with research participants, or an in-depth study of a social problem.
They felt their research could have greater social impact and in turn that a social venture would allow them to carry out research with clear practical outcomes.
How does this benefit the university and wider society?
First, innovative projects which create social impact can get good publicity and help increase the reputation of academics in their particular fields, which in turn helps to generate further research and research income.
Second, most academics want their research to make a difference and social enterprise spin-outs can harness a range of academic expertise, which will benefit society and increase the impact of their research.
Third, social entrepreneurship provides academic staff with an opportunity to be innovative and deliver their role in a new way. This can be formally recognised by their department and university.
Finally, social enterprises can make a profit for the university and individual departments which might be used to fund student scholarships, professional development, and further research.
What other opportunities are there for integrating social enterprise in higher education?
I think that the higher education (HE) sector has only recently begun to capitalise on the potential for social innovation.
While knowledge exchange initiatives including public engagement, volunteering, and student enterprise have been embedded successfully within HEIs (higher education institutions) for many years, there are still few examples of similar efforts in social enterprise.
An increasing number of HEIs in the UK are looking at different strategies to integrate social entrepreneurship in their activities. For instance, by encouraging social venture creation by students; incorporating social enterprise into curriculum development and delivery; committing to procure goods and services from social enterprises; supporting the development of social ventures as a mechanism to translate their innovative knowledge base into products and services; and supporting their local communities to thrive in this sector.
What are the key success factors of socially enterprising universities?
A 2011 report to evaluate the potential of social entrepreneurship in HE was conducted by UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs and the Higher Education Council for England.
It found that social entrepreneurship enhances teaching, research impact and staff development and provides staff with an opportunity to innovate.
In addition, students who participated in a social enterprise programme believe that the scheme improved their employability and almost the same proportion felt that their social venture helped their studies.
In a tough employment market, experience of social entrepreneurship can enable graduates to demonstrate evidence of leadership alongside their academic studies, which is a vital component of employability.
Finally, social ventures created volunteering opportunities and social impact in the HEIs and their local communities.
What are the big takeaways from your visit to Thailand? Are there any opportunities for further engagement?
I was impressed by the extent to which Thai universities engage with their local communities and the commitment shown by senior university staff to develop social entrepreneurship within their institutions as an alternative approach to benefit communities and engage their students.
I believe that there are opportunities for further engagement and collaboration between HEIs in the areas of tech transfer and knowledge exchange that can create positive social impact in the UK and Thailand.
In addition, the growth of online shopping and socially-conscious retailing in the UK can provide a market opportunity for Thai social entrepreneurs building businesses that can make a difference and be financially sustainable.
Ana Lemmo Charnalia has nine years of experience in social innovation, community engagement and social enterprise. Her current responsibilities within UCLB, UCL’s Technology Transfer Office, include identifying and developing opportunities for social enterprise throughout UCL departments and partner hospitals. She has worked as development manager at UnLtd, the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs providing a package of seed funding and support to early stage social entrepreneurs and as an advisor for the Office of the Third Sector, UK Cabinet Office, mapping the supply of social investment and exploring tax incentives for investing in social enterprises. She holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on social entrepreneurship from Oxford University.
Contact the British Council at social.enterprise@britishcouncil.org
More from the British Council partnerzone:
- The importance of social enterprise in Korea’s overseas aid work
- Buy Social launches in Canada
- Putting social enterprise at the heart of higher education
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