Our Business Services
We’re working together with local business and collaborating with the business support team in Portsmouth City Council and Shaping Portsmouth. Supporting productivity, growth, innovation, investment, and adding value to our business community.
To keep informed of what’s happening there are also a number of business–focused eNewsletters you can sign up to, these are as follows:
- BusinessTalk - Events, research and opportunities from the University of Portsmouth
- Business Update - News, support and funding updates from Portsmouth City Council
Alongside the business services listed below, we also run a programme of free events.
Accountancy Clinic
Cost: Free
Dates: September-January
If you're a trustee or director of a charity, social enterprise or community interest group in Hampshire and you need help with your accounting, our pro-bono accounting clinic can help get your finances in order.
Advertise your jobs to our students
Cost: Free
Are you looking for flexible employees to work evenings, weekdays or weekends?
Many of our students choose to work part-time alongside their degrees, bringing the skills they learn from their studies to your organisation. You can advertise part-time or seasonal jobs to our students for free on our online jobs board.
Business Consultancy Projects (BCP)
Cost: Free
Dates: September-December
This initiative offers you the opportunity to work with a dedicated team of final year students from the Faculty of Business and Law. Working to your brief, they will tackle a live issue for your business, and deliver a consultancy report, including recommendations, for local businesses of all sizes.
Bra testing services
Cost: £99-£38,000 (+VAT if applicable)
Our expert team provide services to businesses in the lingerie and sports wear industries, and to sporting organisations. These services include bra testing, breast science educational workshops and breast education services.
Centre for Creative and Immersive XR (CCIXR)
Cost: £99-£100,000 (depending on requirements)
We are the UK’s first integrated facility to support innovation in the creative and digital technologies of virtual, augmented and extended realities. CCIXR features world-class motion capture, volumetric capture, VR labs and simulation facilities. The Centre is run in partnership with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and HM Government. Our aim is to lower the barrier to entry to these technologies - demonstrating their use across all sectors, from medicine to theatre.
Conference and event space
Cost: £100-£50,000
From a simple meeting room hire to hosting large international conferences, we offer a very large range of modern and historical venues, and other facilities to ensure your event is successful and memorable.
Consumer research project
Cost: Free
Duration: Sept/May
This initiative offers you the opportunity to work with a dedicated team of our Digital Marketing and International Marketing Masters students. Working to your brief, our students can help your business to better understand what customers think of your product or service, and your competitors; allowing you to create targeted marketing
Coworking and office space
Cost: From £95 (+VAT) per month
Our Innovation Connect hubs provide coworking and office space across the city to suit the needs of your growing businesses. The 3 locations are Halpern House, Cell Block Studios and Portsmouth Technopole. If you rent coworking or office space at one of the locations, you can also use meeting spaces in our Future Technology Centre. As a member of our Innovation Connect community you also get to use many other university facilities and you can access advice from our Entrepreneurs in Residence.
Cybercrime Awareness Clinic
Cost: No cost, some costed products
The Cybercrime Awareness Clinic provides cybercrime awareness advice to individuals, community groups, schools, colleges and small and medium organisations in Portsmouth and the surrounding area, as well as conducting research into cybercrime awareness and prevention.
Degree Apprenticeships
Cost: Funded by the Government's Apprenticeship Levy
Degree apprenticeships are an inexpensive way for your organisation to attract and retain talented employees, develop your workforce, fill skills gaps and improve your company's performance. When your employees complete their apprenticeship, they'll have a full Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
EMphasis3 CO2 Reductions (EMphasis3)
Cost: No cost
Delivered by the University in collaboration with Greentech South, our SME support programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and provides energy efficiency and innovation grants — as well as access to free energy efficiency audits and innovation support.
Entrepreneurial advice
Cost: Free to members of our Innovation Connect community
When you rent space from us you automatically become a member of our Innovation Connect business community. This means that you can get free business advice from our Entrepreneurs in Residence. They can help you with your start-up and business plan, guide you in identifying and accessing business networks, and help you develop entrepreneurial skills.
Female Entrepreneurs Network
Cost: No cost
If you're a woman who runs her own business, or if you want to start a business but you need some help and support, join our Female Entrepreneurs Network. You'll be able to connect with other local businesswomen, hear from expert speakers and attend our networking events.
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)
Cost: £30,000-£50,000 per year (depending on the size of your company)
Duration: 1-3 years
A government funded scheme to help you innovate and grow. A KTP allows your company to recruit a graduate to work on a project of strategic importance. The University will provide knowledge and expertise. As well as supporting the project development, graduate recruitment, and HR matters.
Help to Grow Management Programme
Cost: Fully-funded
Duration: 12 weeks
'Help To Grow: Management' is a 12-week programme for senior business leaders that's 90% funded by the Government. It's designed to help you meet today's business challenges. You'll gain insight and skills to help you boost your business’s performance, resilience, and long-term growth.
Hire our Graduate Talent
Cost: Free for Non-Profit Organisations, 5% of first-year salary for Private Sector organisations
Helping you recruit our graduates. Taking responsibility for the recruitment cycle for you, our Graduate Recruitment Team contact our graduates, pre-screen applications, arrange interviews, and guide the recruitment process. Staff are not on commission and funds are reinvested back into the University to improve the student experience.
Legal Advice Clinic
Cost: No cost
Dates/times: September-July, Monday and Wednesday
If you live or work in the Portsmouth area, you can get free and confidential legal advice from our General Legal Advice Clinic. You'll receive advice from our law students studying law degrees in the School of Law. Their advice is guided by qualified solicitors and an experienced tutor.
Low Carbon Solent
Cost: No cost
Through this project, SMEs can access innovation grants, postgraduate student projects, and innovation support. The project is led by the University of Portsmouth in collaboration with the University of Winchester and Greentech South and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Supporting Innovation and Growth in Healthcare Technologies (SIGHT)
Cost: Free events and business support, matched grant funding available
SIGHT is a business support programme part-funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), developed by the University of Portsmouth and partners to provide help, guidance and grant funding to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the healthcare technology sector.
South Coast Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications
Cost: No cost, dependent on eligibility criteria
Funded by the UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult, we can help develop collaborative projects, identify and attract funding, provide network opportunities, and advise businesses looking to use and exploit space assets. Regardless of your sector, we can support you - we've worked with insurance companies interested in adverse weather information for risk assessments, maritime companies developing automated routes for vessels connected by satellite communications; and companies devising GPS-enabled sensors for the location of personnel on construction sites.
Supply to us
Cost: No cost
Suppliers of all kinds, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are welcome. We operate fairly and transparently within the law governing public sector procurement, as well as within the University Financial Regulations.