Engagement

Supporting local entrepreneurs and start-ups

Queen Mary supports local entrepreneurs and start-ups through free professional advice, mentoring and practical business support. These services give entrepreneurs access to specialist expertise that can help them start, strengthen and grow financially and socially sustainable businesses.

The University’s Local Offer brings together free support for East London residents, businesses, entrepreneurs, start-ups and community organisations, connecting them with legal, financial, technical and digital expertise across Queen Mary.

• qLegal is Queen Mary’s pro bono commercial law clinic, supporting start-ups, entrepreneurs and non-profit organisations that may not otherwise be able to afford commercial legal advice. In 2024/25, qLegal supported more than 290 entrepreneurs and start-ups, including 16 Greentech ventures, alongside businesses working in Edtech, Medtech, Fintech and social enterprise.
• qTech provides free technical and digital consultancy to start-ups, SMEs and non-profit organisations. In 2024/25, it supported entrepreneurs working across sectors including Greentech, Edtech, Medtech and Fintech, helping them address practical technology, data and digital-development challenges without the cost of commercial consultancy.
• qNomics provides free financial and business guidance to entrepreneurs, technology start-ups and community organisations. In 2024, qNomics supported 42 clients through one-to-one advisory clinics, helping with areas such as business planning, financial analysis, funding, business structures and marketing.

Student consultancy programme (SCP)  

The SCP gives students the chance to work in multidisciplinary teams solving problems faced by businesses, charities and social enterprises within the UK and Internationally. It was voted Best Student Programme at the Ernst & Young Global Career Services Summit Awards 2022.  

Supporting heritage, public history and community organisations 

Queen Mary students offer bespoke services to support heritage, public history and community organisations through our qHeritage initiative. Previous local organisations we have supported are The Museum of the Home, Swadhinata Trust, and the Jigsaw House Scoiety. Services offered include:  

• Consultancy on project planning 
• Support for grant applications 
• Generating and analysing research data 
• Designing and delivering educational activities 
• Public and community engagement workshops 
• Branding and social media management 
• Improving accessibility and inclusivity. 

Project ReMAKE 

Project ReMAKE is a partnership between our School of Business Management (SBM) and Project ReMake, supporting formerly incarcerated people who can face significant barriers to employment and self-employment.

The 12-week programme combines entrepreneurship training, employability development, mentoring and practical business planning. Participants develop business ideas with support from Queen Mary student advisers and industry mentors before presenting their plans to investors. To date, the programme has supported 66 formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs and 129 Queen Mary student advisers. Queen Mary reports a reoffending rate of 9% among participants, compared with a national comparator of 59.2%. Some participants have progressed to internships, while others have developed their own ventures.

The programme provides practical routes into employment, self-employment and greater financial independence for people who can otherwise face substantial barriers to economic participation.

Queen Mary Social Venture Fund 

Queen Mary’s School of Business and Management is home to the first student-led social impact venture capital fund, partnered with The Creator Fund,  investing in student-led social ventures in the UK. It brings together minds from Business, Law, Engineering, Sciences, and more, all united by one mission: investing in start-ups for good. Each year, the fund engages 100-150 social ventures, deploying a £15,000 equity investment into a winning venture; since 2020 it has invested £105,000 . Ongoing post-investment support is provided to help founders grow with impact.  

Some of the socially-responsible start-ups supported include:  

• Carbon Cell's high-performance expandable foam is fully compostable and locks in carbon for centuries, championing environmental responsibility. The key ingredient in Carbon Cell’s products is biochar, which removes more C02 from the atmosphere than it requires to make. 

• Biophilica developed a product called Treekind, a leaf-based leather alternative which uses less than one per cent of the water used in traditional leather production.  

• Leiho sells environmentally-friendly socks made from organic cotton and bamboo, with every pair helping to provide essentials for vulnerable communities, including refugees and people experiencing homelessness. 

London Social Ventures Initiative 

London Social Ventures (LSV) is a pan-London initiative led by Queen Mary University of London and UCL. It helps universities turn research, innovation and local knowledge into ventures that address social and environmental challenges while creating jobs and inclusive economic development across London.

Over the last two years, LSV has provided £293,000 in grants alongside tailored mentoring and business support. One example is the Adult Social Care Impact Launchpad, delivered with Care City CIC. The programme identified research-backed solutions to challenges in adult social care, including staff stress and retention, and supported innovators to test and develop these ideas in real care settings.

LSV’s Catalyst programme has also delivered measurable economic impact. Participating ventures increased employment from 16 to 42 jobs and grew combined revenue from £1.1 million to £2.1 million during the programme period. Around half of this growth was attributed directly to LSV support, including 16 additional jobs and £520,000 in additional revenue in the first year. Over four years, this impact is projected to generate 29 jobs, £2.9 million in revenue and £1.1 million in tax receipts. The programme is projected to deliver a 320% return through tax revenue alone.

Improving Health Access 

Queen Mary organises community programmes that improve access to health information, preventive support and healthcare services, particularly for children and underserved communities.

In 2024/25, the Big Mouth Tower Hamlets programme worked with residents, community organisations and English Speakers of Other Languages groups to identify barriers to oral healthcare. The project focused particularly on groups who can face difficulties accessing services because of language, cost or lack of information. More than 370 survey responses, alongside workshops and community discussions, were used to identify priorities for improving oral health information, research and services in Tower Hamlets.

Queen Mary students also provide regular health education through Teddy Bear Hospital and Barts Community Smiles. Teddy Bear Hospital runs interactive sessions in primary schools to help children understand healthcare and reduce anxiety about visiting doctors and dentists. Barts Community Smiles provides oral-health education through schools and community settings in Tower Hamlets. In 2024/25, both groups were recognised through Queen Mary Students’ Union’s Volunteering Awards for their community work.

Growth & Economic Development Partnership Board 

Queen Mary is a member of the Tower Hamlets Partnership Executive Group, which brings together key organisations from across the borough to coordinate action on shared local priorities. The Group oversees six thematic partnerships, including the Growth & Economic Development Partnership Board.

The Board supports delivery of the Tower Hamlets Partnership Plan, with a focus on inclusive growth, economic opportunity and reducing inequality. Through this partnership, Queen Mary contributes to borough-wide discussions on employment, skills, enterprise and the wider economic conditions that affect poverty and disadvantage in Tower Hamlets.