The University has held regular such events throughout the academic year, with Steps (Student Experience Projects) funding awarded to winning pitches.

A fund of half a million pounds has supported 23 projects this academic year, all of which have been designed to improve the student experience. Last week’s event was the last of the year.

Students and staff pitched their projects to five ‘dragons’, comprising Vice Chancellor Bill Rammell, Director for Student Experience Rumnique Gill, Association Dean for Student Experience Cathy Minett-Smith, Associate Dean of Health and Social Sciences Judith Chappell, and Bedfordshire Students’ Union Vice President of Community Frankie Davies.

The first pitch to secure funding came from Enactus Bedfordshire, whose proposal of a student-run product design company won £7,000.

The venture will provide objects like bespoke graduation mugs, and branded ties and water bottles. Bedfordshire students will be employed in aspects ranging from the design of the products, to managerial roles such as accountancy and project management.

Eighty-per cent of the profits from the business will feed back into Enactus Bedfordshire, the University’s student body of the entrepreneurial organisation.

The team’s performance at the national finals last month ranked Bedfordshire as a top-ten Enactus university in the country. The aim now, with help from the Steps money, is to push into the top five.

Also earning funding last week was the UOB-MBA Global Association, led by a team of Business School students.

The project’s mission is to connect almost 5,000 worldwide MBA alumni with the aim of opening up employment and internship opportunities across the globe. The funding will go towards a marketing campaign to increase involvement with the Association.

A conference on climate change was also proposed during the evening but, despite its potential to link students across different courses and departments, the almost £15,000 demanded was deemed too high considering the lack of sustainable benefits.

Mr Rammell explained the importance of the Steps fund:

“The Dragons’ Den event was the perfect culmination to a year of enthusiasm, collectivity and innovation in the name of the student experience.

“We have seen a whole host of ideas, proposed by staff and students alike, made a reality and the two latest projects are a true reflection of the entrepreneurship we are instilling.”