Working with Partners
Oxford's ecosystem works best when its parts act together. EnSpire convenes that work inside the University — and supports Equinox, the partnership taking it across the region.
Equinox
Equinox — Equitable Innovation Oxford — is a University-led partnership connecting Oxfordshire's universities, businesses, investors, councils and communities, with more than 40 regional partners. It works to make the region a place where breakthrough ideas scale and the benefits are shared.
EnSpire delivers Equinox's entrepreneurship and founder-facing activity within the University of Oxford.
The NatWest Accelerator
Equinox's first collaboration with EnSpire brought the NatWest Accelerator to Oxfordshire. Delivered by NatWest, Equinox and EnSpire, it gives founders across the region structured support and a dedicated Oxford community on the Accelerator app, and a programme of workshops, masterclasses and pitch events in Oxford.
In June 2026 the first Oxford Pitch final filled a lecture theatre at Saïd Business School, with five founders pitching to judges from Coutts, Google and JCDecaux for a share of £100,000. Peripear, founded by former midwife Nina van Schaick, took the £70,000 top prize.
Our closest partners
Three organisations shape entrepreneurship at Oxford alongside us. We run programmes with each of them, and between us we cover most of the routes a founder takes.
Oxford University Innovation
The University's technology transfer company, and the route an idea takes when it becomes a business. They've helped create more than 350 companies, guiding founders through IP and licensing, business planning, team building and investment, and connecting them to the investors, lawyers and mentors around each stage. Go to OUI when your idea comes out of your research, or when you're ready to form a company and settle the IP.
Oxford Edge, Christ Church
Christ Church's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, launched with the University and EnSpire in 2025, Edge is a physical home for student entrepreneurship at 37 St Giles — open to every college and department. It runs Edge Challenges, hosts the student-led OX1 incubator, and has rooms and a hardware lab you can book. Go to Edge when you want somewhere to build, people to build with, or an event that puts you among them.
Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre
Part of Saïd Business School and open across the University, OSEC is where you build entrepreneurial skills and confidence, through practical programmes, events, on-demand online learning and time with experienced founders and investors. We run several of its programmes together, including Oxford Venture Builder and Oxford Climate Ventures. Go to OSEC when you want to learn how ventures work, test an early idea, or meet founders who have done it before.
In and around the University
Centres, divisions and services across Oxford, alongside the independent funds and investors built around its research.
Careers, University of Oxford supports students, researchers and alumni to explore career options, develop skills and gain experience. It offers advice, programmes, internships and events, connecting Oxford's talent with employers and opportunities.
TORCH, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, seeds interdisciplinary research networks and supports research hubs. It backs international engagement, knowledge exchange with outside organisations, and co-creation of research with the public.
The Social Sciences Division helps researchers generate scalable, sustainable real-world impact. Its Research, Impact & Engagement team offers guidance on impact, access to funding and partnership opportunities, and initiatives to scale innovations.
The Medical Sciences Division's Researchers' Toolkit collects information and training for research, career development, publications, data and ethics. It also highlights funding, public and policy engagement, and translation and innovation support.
MPLS Enterprise helps researchers in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences apply creative ideas and innovations to practical settings. Its courses, programmes and fellows build enterprise skills that pay off in academia, business or industry..
Enterprising Women encourages, inspires and supports women STEM researchers to get involved in innovation and entrepreneurship, through events and programmes such as RisingWISE and SeedWISE. Non-binary people are welcome in its women-focused spaces.
BioEscalator is the University of Oxford's incubator for fast-growing biomedical companies, on its clinical campus. Residents enjoy flexible lab space, core facilities, events and training, and a collaborative network of fellow start-ups and alumni.
Oxford University Science Park, Begbroke, is the only science park wholly owned and managed by the University. Home to around 30 companies and over 20 research groups, it provides flexible space and support to help new and growing companies develop.
The Researcher Hub supports everyone on fixed-term research or teaching contracts at Oxford. It helps them settle in, build connections, grow their research expertise and approach their next career step with confidence, and supports colleagues, too.
Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
The Skoll Centre is an internationally renowned social impact centre at the Saïd Business School. It unites researchers and practitioners to discover how to lead, finance, measure and scale impact, and it runs programmes for entrepreneurial leaders.
OSE exists to transform Oxford’s cutting-edge scientific research into companies to tackle the world’s greatest challenges. They're an independent investment company and venture builder, powered by a unique partnership with the University of Oxford.
Beyond Oxford
Rise Europe
Rise Europe brings together 20 of Europe's leading entrepreneurship hubs across 14 countries, including UnternehmerTUM, KTH, ETH Zurich and Imperial. Together its members supported more than 5,800 startups in 2024. EnSpire is Oxford's member of the network.
Explore More
Social enterprise
From teaching to incorporation support and funding for ventures with a social purpose.
Student societies
Oxford's entrepreneurship societies and the grants EnSpire offers that run them.
Oxford & Oxfordshire
The organisations supporting enterprise and innovation across the whole county.