New partnership with Santander boosts entrepreneurship, enterprise and education

Northumbria University, Newcastle, has deepened its relationship with Santander Universities UK with a new three-year funding agreement.

Renewing the partnership is worth over quarter of a million pounds and opens fresh opportunities for Northumbria’s students and business partners. It also means the University can work with more SMEs and start-ups in the region through paid student internships.

Since 2015 Santander has committed almost half a million pounds to Northumbria, funding student internships, work placements, overseas study and scholarships. The international banking group has also donated £100,000 for a new enterprise incubator being developed at Northumbria to support student start-ups, academic spin-outs and graduate enterprise.

Santander has a long-term strategic alliance with the higher education sector, and a focus on entrepreneurship, enterprise and education.

Professor Andrew Wathey CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at Northumbria University, said: “Over the past three years, our relationship with Santander has grown considerably. It has helped enhance the learning experience and career prospects for our students, and the support we can offer to business and enterprise partners. Renewing the partnership for a further three years confirms our position as a key partner for Santander – and one that shares their focus

“We can now build on this success and to engage even further with new and existing partners, through collaboration, knowledge exchange and the supply of highly skilled students and graduates.

Matt Hutnell, Director at Santander Universities UK, commented: “Our support for the higher education sector is designed to enable universities across the UK to develop ambitious projects that deliver real economic, social and employment benefits. We are delighted to renew our partnership with Northumbria University, and we are very excited to see its economic impact in the North East and across the UK.”