Ingenuity Lab

University of Nottingham

Information last verified: August 2026 · Source: c4di.co.uk

Stage

Idea / pre-product, MVP / early product, Early revenue

Location

Midlands

Equity

No equity taken

Cost

Free

Delivery

Hybrid

Any sector

Idea / pre-productMVP / early productEarly revenue

The Ingenuity Lab is the University of Nottingham's free entrepreneurship hub for students, staff and alumni who want to explore a business idea or grow an early-stage venture, based at the Ingenuity Centre on Jubilee Campus and usable online too. There are three free membership tiers, from event-only Academic membership to Venture and Ambassador, which add mentoring, advisory surgeries with legal, accounting and marketing experts, a year-round events programme, desk space and routes to funding. Members can tap a network of more than 50 Entrepreneurs in Residence, and the wider Ingenuity Impact programme has put a reported £1 million of seed funding into 489 new ventures tackling social, health and environmental challenges. Crucially, eligibility is not limited to current students: alumni of the University of Nottingham can join for free too, with no graduation date restriction, making it genuinely useful for founders who left years ago and are only now starting to build.

Why this programme

Raise funding

Routes to grant funding and competition prizes through the wider Ingenuity Impact programme, which has put a reported £1m of seed funding into 489 ventures

Access to mentors / operators

Mentoring, advisory surgeries with legal, accounting and marketing experts, and a network of 50+ Entrepreneurs in Residence

Build product / validate MVP

Events, training and workspace to test and develop an early idea, from Academic through to Venture membership

Find customers / partnerships

A year-round events programme and connections across Nottingham's entrepreneurial community

Community / workspace / ecosystem

Free membership and desk space at the Ingenuity Centre on Jubilee Campus, usable in person or online

Scale & grow

Ambassador membership adds the advanced Scale training programme, a dedicated mentor and workspace for post-startup ventures

Interested in Ingenuity Lab?

Head to their website for programmes, eligibility and how to get involved.

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