New support to launch The Hodge Foundation Public Value Programme

Cardiff Business School is pleased to announce that it is extending its longstanding partnership with The Hodge Foundation.

The Foundation has pledged £450,000 of support over three years, in order to deliver benefits for students, researchers, and the wider community.

The Hodge Foundation Public Value Programme will see four initiatives rolled out across Cardiff Business School to equip the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and skills to safeguard Wales’ future economy, society and environment.

This new commitment builds on the School’s 20 year relationship with the Foundation, which began when Sir Julian Hodge made a philanthropic commitment to students and research.

• A PhD Scholarship Programme will train the thought leaders of tomorrow.
  
  Applications will be prioritised from Welsh students and particularly those from a disadvantaged background, or students whose research proposal is focussed on Wales and aims to generate new knowledge of value to the Welsh economy and to society.
  
  Projects that address economic and social challenges post-COVID 19 will also be encouraged.

• Five Summer placements per year will enable 15 undergraduate students to gain hands-on research experience in a professional environment.
  
  As part of Cardiff University’s Research Opportunities and Education Innovation Programme initiatives, the placements aim to increase student confidence and enhance academic skills. Additional training on placements also gives students a unique CV talking point.

• A Social Enterprise Seedcorn Fund will support final year undergraduates and postgraduate-taught students who are studying entrepreneurship, by helping them to establish start-ups with a social and economic mission.
  
  Students will compete for funding by pitching their idea to a panel of experts including academics, practitioners and Cardiff Business School’s Public Value Entrepreneurs in Residence (PVEiR).

• The final component of the programme will award Student Prizes to those undergraduates and postgraduates who have achieved academic excellence at the School’s annual prizegiving event.

Professor Ashworth continued: “The programme will help us continue to create spaces where our students are encouraged to challenge, stay open-minded and gain a broad world view. It will enable them to develop a high level of knowledge and skills in their research and studies, so they can leave with the confidence to drive positive change in Wales and the world, with a broader sense of economic purpose unshackled from old ways of thinking and doing.”

Cardiff is the world’s first Public Value Business School, with a clear mission of making a positive impact on the world. As well as economic success, the School aims to bring humanity, sustainability, generosity and innovation to the business sector.

Karen Hodge, Trustee of the Hodge Foundation said: “We are proud of our partnership with Cardiff Business School and pleased to support the Hodge Foundation Public Value Programme. The Foundation is committed to education and learning, and we believe strongly in giving young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to fulfill their potential and to thrive.”

Gifts such as these from the Hodge Foundation, as well as those from generous individuals and organisations, help Cardiff University to provide outstanding student support services, nurture world-leading research, and foster innovation and business partnerships.