Christ Church announces new University-wide entrepreneurship centre

Created by Christ Church in collaboration with the Saïd Business School, the UK’s foremost digital venture builder Blenheim Chalcot, and the University’s entrepreneurship hub EnSpire Oxford, the Centre is scheduled to open in early 2025. Students will benefit from education in the core principles of entrepreneurship from Christ Church and University tutors as well as Blenheim Chalcot’s experts. This will go hand-in-hand with practical support from established entrepreneurs drawn from Oxford’s community of alumni and its wider ecosystem. The Centre will support a broad range of ventures, ranging from social and civic entrepreneurship to innovation in science and technology.

The creation of the new Centre – set in the heart of Oxford at 37 St Giles – will be a centrepiece of Christ Church’s work as it prepares for the 500th anniversary of its founding next year. Commenting on the purpose of the St Giles project, the Dean of Christ Church Professor Sarah Foot said: ‘Since I became Dean last year, we have been preparing to celebrate our first 500 years in 2025 and, more importantly, looking to the future and building plans to serve students for the next 500 years. The project announced today is a vital part of this work, helping students and academics make the most of the huge entrepreneurial potential within Christ Church, and the wider University.’

Students are currently being offered a chance to name the Centre through a naming competition running until Friday 22 November. Any current student at the University of Oxford can enter the naming competition for the chance to win one of five prestigious paid internships at Blenheim Chalcot with free London accommodation, together with a cash prize of £2,000 for the best entry.

With meeting rooms, classrooms and state-of-the-art office space, the Centre will respond to growing student demand for entrepreneurial education and help provide the pathways to innovation that play a key role in the University of Oxford’s vision. By offering the space and backing for undergraduates to build on their ideas and develop the skills and entrepreneurial mindset needed to succeed in the very early stages of launching a venture, it will play an important role in Oxford’s development as a major global innovation hub. Last year, Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey chaired an Independent Review of University Spinout Companies, whose recommendations to fund and support university spinouts were accepted in full by the Government.

The Centre's academic programme will encompass a curriculum of lectures and interactive workshops with experts, covering problem discovery, venture models, value proposition, and intellectual property. Funded vacation programmes will offer students the opportunity to work together on ideas from their own initiative.

The Centre will maintain close links with funders supporting university spinouts later in their development, such as Oxford Science Enterprises, the independent investment company working with the University to turn researchers’ ideas into viable companies. The partnership has raised over £750m in investment, resulting in two Nasdaq flotations and dozens of successful exits. 

Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: ‘I'm delighted at the launch of the 37 St Giles Centre today. As our review of university spin-out businesses for government highlighted last year, infrastructure is vital if a city is to become a hub of spin-out creation. This Centre will help us achieve our ambition of making Oxford a global innovation hub.’