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Leeds Beckett launches Leeds City Challenge to drive student innovation for the city
The Leeds City Challenge, unveiled at a launch event on Friday 27 February 2026, will support students and recent graduates to develop business ideas that tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the city and surrounding region.
Bringing together civic leaders, business figures, entrepreneurs, staff and students, the event marked the start of a programme focused on innovation, inclusive growth and tangible civic impact.
A £10,000 boost for bold ideas
At the heart of the Challenge is a £10,000 prize funded by Leeds Beckett University, underlining the University’s commitment to backing the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The Leeds City Challenge is open to all students from first-year undergraduates through to PhD candidates – as well as alumni up to 18 months after graduation. Participants will propose innovative business ideas responding directly to challenges within Leeds and the wider city region. The initiative is the first challenge of its kind to be launched by a UK university.
The programme will include enterprise workshops, expert mentoring and a shortlisting process, culminating in a final pitch event where shortlisted teams will present their ideas to a high-profile judging panel.
Civic leadership and collaboration
The launch opened with remarks from Professor George Lodorfos, Dean of Leeds Business School, followed by Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Slee. A keynote address was delivered by Ed Whiting OBE, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, who highlighted both the opportunities and inequalities within the city and encouraged students to engage directly with the challenges Leeds faces over the coming decade.
Professor Lebene Richmond Soga, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management Practice at Leeds Business School and Academic Director of the LBS Centre for Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Exchange, outlined how the Challenge connects student creativity and ambition with the needs of the city’s economy. More than 20 students have already signed up to take part.
Ed Whiting OBE, Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, said: “Leeds is a city that is growing and changing, we’re a big and diverse city, but we have poverty, inequality and gaps in life expectancy between different wards in our city. We have to close those gaps. I hope the students leading the Leeds City Challenge and getting involved will really get stuck into those challenges and help us make the most of the decade ahead.”
Professor Peter Slee, Vice Chancellor, Leeds Beckett University, said: “It’s a brilliant opportunity for students to be involved in real-life learning that makes a difference to communities, organisations and people. This is an anchor project because it’s linking our organisation with others in common purpose. It’s about helping Leeds to grow and thrive and for our students to make a difference while gaining skills and experience that will be unique.”
Professor Lebene Soga, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management Practice at Leeds Business School said: “This is a unique platform for our students to think about Leeds and make an impact. We are a university for Leeds, and this challenge offers our students an opportunity to think about the problems that this city faces. Business ideas solve problems, and good businesses solve great problems – we want our students to think that way and be problem solvers for our city.”
Student Gemma Hunt, studying for an MA in Entrepreneurship and Business Development said: “My idea is about youth unemployment and in order to be able to do this challenge, the experience and support of the university and Leeds City Council will be really beneficial.”
Student Senyo Kofi Agbleze, studying for an MSc in Supply Chain Management and Logistics said: “You can identify a problem in the classroom and take it to the real world, to make an impact, to make lives better, to make the city better. I need to put my entrepreneur cap on and take action, this is an opportunity and a platform for me to push forward.”
Supporting Leeds Anchors and Leeds Ambitions
The Leeds City Challenge reinforces Leeds Beckett’s role within the Leeds Anchor Network. Anchor institutions – including councils, universities, colleges, hospitals and major employers – use their employment power, spending, assets and expertise to support local economic and social development.
As a partner in the network, Leeds Beckett works collaboratively with other major institutions committed to strengthening Leeds’ economic, cultural and social life. Professor Peter Slee currently chairs the Leeds Anchors Network, underlining the university’s civic leadership role.
The Challenge also aligns with the city’s long-term vision set out in Leeds Ambitions – a shared plan driven by organisations and communities across the city. Its four priorities are:
• Healthy – making Leeds a healthy and caring city for everyone
• Growing – reducing poverty and inequality through inclusive economic growth
• Thriving – building strong, welcoming and safe communities
• Resilient – becoming the UK’s first net zero and nature positive city
By encouraging students and graduates to design businesses that respond directly to these priorities, the Challenge positions entrepreneurship as a practical tool for delivering meaningful change.
A platform for impact
More than a competition, the Leeds City Challenge has been designed as a platform for collaboration, creativity and civic engagement. By connecting students and recent graduates with mentors, civic leaders and industry partners, the university aims to strengthen the pipeline of innovative, locally rooted enterprises.
Participants will benefit from structured support and the opportunity to refine their ideas in response to real feedback from business and civic stakeholders. The final pitching event will provide a public platform to showcase ventures with the potential to drive economic growth, social impact and long-term resilience in Leeds.
The Challenge also introduces students to the wider support available through the Leeds Business School Centre for Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Exchange, reinforcing Leeds Beckett’s commitment to enterprise at every stage of the student journey. Business leaders, SMEs and external partners interested in mentoring, judging, sponsoring or collaborating are encouraged to get involved.
Find out more about the Leeds City Challenge and the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Exchange.
In this article
Professor Peter Slee
Professor Peter Slee joined Leeds Beckett University as Vice Chancellor in September 2015. Peter was educated at the University of Reading, gained his PhD in Modern History from the University of Cambridge and was a postdoctoral fellow at Manchester and Durham. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an award-winning author, teacher and trainer.
Peter joined Leeds Beckett from the University of Huddersfield where he had been Deputy Vice Chancellor since 2010. He has held a number of senior roles in higher education management at Northumbria, Durham and Aston universities and at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) where he was Head of Education Policy.
Professor George Lodorfos
George has extensive practical and academic experience in the field of strategic management, R and D (research and development) and the adoption of new technologies and innovation. He has done extensive research and enterprise work in the area of buyer behaviour, with particular interest in online purchasing and the use of technology to enable the sustainable growth of businesses. He has also supervised and examined many PhDs both in the UK and Europe and is an external examiner for two UK universities.
Professor Lebene Soga
Professor Lebene Richmond Soga is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management Practice at Leeds Business School (LBS), Leeds Beckett University, Academic Director of the LBS Centre for Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Exchange, and a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.
