iSpace won a £ 50,000 grant from the British Council Creative Spark: Higher Education Enterprise Programme.
Creative Spark: Higher Education Enterprise Programme is a five-year initiative to help develop the creative economy and enterprise skills across seven countries in Central Asia, (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) and Ukraine.
The iSpace Business Incubator of Atyrau State University in partnership with the University of Leicester (UK) won the British Council Creative Spark grant program.
Creative Spark: Higher Education Enterprise Programme is a five-year initiative to help develop the creative economy and enterprise skills across seven countries in Central Asia, (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan), South Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) and Ukraine.
The programme has been developed in response to an underdeveloped creative sector and a demand for entrepreneurship training in these countries. Creative industries have driven economic growth in the UK. We want to use this experience and expertise to support sustainable development and social welfare.
The programme Creative Spark programme has three key aims:
• to develop partnerships involving universities and creative institutions in the UK and programme countries to drive enterprise training and establish enterprise centres
• to deliver enterprise skills training packages to students and creative entrepreneurs - ranging from pitching ideas to starting a business and protecting intellectual property.
• to deliver English language skills through a range of new British Council digital learning content. This will include digital learning platforms, online courses and a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) courses focused on English for entrepreneurship
Creative Spark is managed and funded by the British Council.
“It is worth noting that out of a hundred applications from all participating countries, only twenty were approved. This grant program provides for the intensification of entrepreneurial and innovative activities. Our partnership, in particular, will support the design and delivery of activities that foster the development of innovative education in Atyrau, such as a training program for startups and entrepreneurs with the participation of British specialists, conferences and bootcamps. Moreover, most importantly students and staff of ASU will get an access to the digital English language training of the British Council. The one interested in participation can register at iSpace Business Incubator, located in Department of Economics and Law,” noted Ulzhan Shilibekova the head of the incubator.
For further information on the programme, please visit the British Council’s website. and the ASU Creative Spark page.
