Banco Santander Open Innovation | INVITE ONLY - QMU Enterprise 25-26

The Santander Universities Enterprise Fund is intended to help and support our students, staff, and graduates to achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions. For example, it can be used to purchase equipment or cover other business-related costs such as developing marketing materials/websites/apps or, for our creative members, costs associated with putting on shows etc. It can also be used to support business-related travel costs or the costs of attending/exhibiting at appropriate conferences and events.  

Please read the following carefully for eligibility criteria and an overview of the competition process:  

1. Only QMU students, staff, and recent graduates (i.e. those who graduated from QMU within the last 5 years) are eligible to apply.
2. Applicants must have already established their business and begun activity - ideation-stage ideas are not eligible.
3. Applications will only be accepted via Santander X platform.  
4. This is a competitive funding call, and you must clearly demonstrate your ambitions for your business and how the funding will help you achieve them.  
5. Three awards of £5000 will be given and preference will be given to applicants that can demonstrate recent or future business growth. 
6. Applicants must provide a detailed breakdown of what the requested funding will be used for as part of the application process. 
7. The deadline for applications in the 2025/26 academic year is Friday 10th April 2026. Late applications will NOT be accepted.
8.  Applications will be assessed by a Panel consisting of senior QMU staff and a Business Advisor from Business Gateway East Lothian. Applications will be reviewed individually and in the context of all the applications received. 
9. Occasionally, the Panel may seek additional information from an applicant before reaching their decision. 
10. Applicants will be notified of the decision regarding their application via email. The decision of the Panel is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
11. Awarded monies will be credited to successful applicants’ bank accounts by QMU in the weeks following notification of their success.  
12. In accepting an award, successful applicants agree to provide evidence that the funding has been spent as outlined in their application form. If for any reason this is not possible, the award must be returned to the University for it to be re-awarded.
13. Successful applicants must agree to participate in QMU and Santander publicity if required, for example for the QMU alumni magazine, leaflets, booklets, web pages and social media.  
14. The Panel may apply additional terms and conditions to a specific grant if it deems this to be necessary.