University of Brighton extends partnership with Santander Universities

The partnership with Santander, through Santander Universities, began 12 years ago and has already provided £1.3m to over 1,400 Brighton students. The renewed agreement will provide a further £71,000 each year, to be directed towards education, entrepreneurship and employability.

Previous funding has been put towards awards, prizes, scholarships, entrepreneurship training, business grants, funded internships, international experiences, research and community activities. Engineering students have taken part in Fly Your Thesis – taking their research into space and Product Design students have launched new sustainable businesses including Tom Meades’ recycled plastic digital speaker business Gomi.

University and Santander celebration event 2020

Santander Universities has also generously repurposed some of the funds that could not be used as planned to an emergency COVID-19 Student Support Fund, and added another £25k towards business start-up grants for recent Brighton graduates. As a result, 434 students were helped to purchase laptops, data, learning resources and support for NHS key workers since the pandemic began and 30 graduate businesses received funding. These most recent donations have given practical and immediate help where it was most needed.

Aleksandra Teper, one of the recipients of the COVID-19 fund, said: “I would like to express my gratitude for the funding. It means that I can afford to buy chemicals and supplies that will allow me to transform my bathroom into a working darkroom space. It also lifts a lot of worry off my shoulders about the continuity of my studies this year.”

Chloe Morel, one of the recipients of the International Experience fund, added: “No words can describe how grateful I am for this funding. This amount of money will help me more than I imagined.

“To afford my international experience, I calculated I needed to have worked 30+ hours on top of my studying and now I don't need to work those hours and I'll be able to use the international experience to develop my skills further.”

Professor Debra Humphris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Brighton, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Santander Universities, which has provided many students with vital funding to achieve their dreams.

“Whether it’s a business start-up grant or a piece of equipment to enable studies, the funding is invaluable to those who receive it. We look forward to working with Santander for at least the next three years”.

Matt Hutnell, Director, Santander Universities, says: “Santander is committed to supporting higher education as well as local communities across the UK. We’re proud to continue our partnership with the University of Brighton for a further three years to ensure we can work together in providing even more opportunities which will benefit both students and the local community, particularly during this challenging time.”