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Nottingham Business School sets gold standard in business engagement with reaccreditation excellence

Nottingham Business School’s commitment to supporting businesses, fostering entrepreneurship, and driving economic growth has been recognised with reaccreditation from the Small Business Charter (SBC) for the maximum five-year period.

By Helen Breese | Published on 3 June 2025

Categories: Press office; Nottingham Business School;

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The accreditation examined 30 Small Business Charter dimensions and in a rare and prestigious achievement, Nottingham Business School (NBS) achieved outstanding performance across all elements.

NBS is triple crown accredited by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA - globally recognised hallmarks of excellence and quality for business education. It actively engages industry professionals and stakeholders in the design and delivery of its courses, as well as developing research that influences business, management, and public policy.

The award from SBC recognises NBS impact across three key pillars: small business growth, stakeholder engagement, and student enterprise. This includes its comprehensive and integrated approach to business support through a range of programmes and initiatives which directly benefit SMEs and entrepreneurs.

NBS's strong commitment to knowledge exchange and enterprise has led to the successful delivery of over £10 million in funded projects, supporting more than 1,500 SMEs via innovation partnerships, leadership programmes, and knowledge transfer initiatives.

Programmes included the Big House which became a standout initiative for creative and digital enterprises, supporting over 2,700 SMEs and 500 entrepreneurs, helping them secure more than £1.5 million in external funding, from 2018-2023. This has led to NBS becoming a key partner in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport funded CreateGrowth N2 programme that supports creative and digital businesses across Nottinghamshire and is already creating valuable impacts in terms of innovation and funding for growth.

NBS also delivers the government-backed Help to Grow: Management, programme – now on its 20th cohort - which provides executive development, peer learning, and mentoring to SME leaders, enhancing their strategic and operational capabilities.

Businesses working with NBS have access to dedicated facilities and innovation spaces, including the newly renovated Belgrave Postgraduate Centre and the Dryden Enterprise Centre which provide cutting-edge co-working spaces, specialist accelerator programmes, and dedicated business growth support. These hubs have supported more than 100 entrepreneurs from 35 organisations with business engagement and revenue growth.

An aspect of NBS that impressed the accreditation panel was its continual engagement with organisations to provide students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities. Thousands of NBS students interact with small businesses each year thanks to initiatives such as NBS Discover, NBS Bright, and Postgraduate Consultancy Projects.

Its vibrant alumni and mentoring networks were also noted as an area of excellence - with an Alumni Fellowship Scheme and an Entrepreneurs Club connecting graduates and business leaders with current students, offering mentoring, role modelling, and networking opportunities that inspire new ventures and professional growth.

Executive Dean of Nottingham Business School, Professor Baback Yazdani, said: "This prestigious five-year accreditation is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff, students, and business partners. It recognises NBS’s dynamic role in driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership across both academia and industry, and reflects our deep commitment to supporting SMEs, shaping policy, and delivering impactful education and research that benefits our region and beyond."

Flora Hamilton, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter, added: “Nottingham Business School continues to set a high standard in its commitment to small businesses and regional growth. This reaccreditation is a testament to the school’s consistent drive for excellence, using the Small Business Charter framework not only as recognition, but as a catalyst for continuous improvement. We are delighted to see their impact recognised once again.”

Notes for Editors

Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.

About Nottingham Business School at Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Business School (NBS) at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a leader in experiential learning and personalisation of business, management and economics education and research, combining academic excellence with positive impact on people, business and society.  NBS has an unrivalled level of engagement with business, public and voluntary organisations. With more than 8,500 students, NBS is also one of UK’s largest business schools.

NBS is triple crown accredited by EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA as well as EFMD BA for International Business, which are globally recognised hallmarks of excellence and quality for business education. NBS is also accredited by Small Business Charter, providing support and development for SMEs. The school is also a PRME Champion and held up as an exemplar and beacon by the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME).

About Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has been named UK ‘University of the Year’ five times in six years, (Times Higher Education Awards 2017, The Guardian University Awards 2019, The Times and Sunday Times 2018 and 2023, Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023) and is consistently one of the top performing modern universities in the UK.

It is the 3rd best modern university in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023). Students have voted NTU 1st in the UK for student employability (Uni Compare 2025)

NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with over 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across six campuses. It has an international student population of almost 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

NTU owns two Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for outstanding achievements in research (2015, 2021). The first recognises NTU’s research on the safety and security of global citizens. The second was awarded for research in science, engineering, arts and humanities to investigate and restore cultural objects, buildings and heritage. The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent.

NTU was awarded GOLD in the national 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessment, as it was in 2019.

NTU is a top 10 for sport (British Universities and Colleges Sport league table 2023).

NTU is the most environmentally sustainable university in the UK and second in the world (UI Green Metric University World Rankings, 2023).