Students with bright ideas for business have been given a boost this week with as £50,000 grant given to Queen Mary University by an enterprise fund to help the next generation of entrepreneurs.

East London Advertiser: 'Entrepreneur' boost for Queen Mary's students at Mile End. Picture source: QMUL'Entrepreneur' boost for Queen Mary's students at Mile End. Picture source: QMUL (Image: QMUL)

The money is to expand the university’s start-up incubator, known as ‘InQUBEate’ at its Mile End campus.

“It’s vital that we develop students’ entrepreneurial skills to bring new business ideas to fruition,” the university’s enterprise vice principal Prof Peter McOwan said. “This funding will help support potential businesses with expert mentors for our budding entrepreneurs.”

The fund operated for universities by Santander provides ‘seed’ funding, mentoring and training for students to test and develop business ideas.

Queen Mary’s is one of 15 UK universities receiving cash from the fund, which gave out £10m last year alone for scholarships, mobility and entrepreneurship.

The Santander Universities fund has 1,200 universities on its books in 20 countries and was extended to the UK in 2007.