In this new ‘From ambition to action’ blog series, key South London stakeholders respond to the South London BIG Ambition Growth Statement.

At the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE), we have long championed the role of universities as catalysts for innovation, anchors of local economies, and drivers of inclusive growth.

The South London Partnership’s Growth Ambitions Statement sets out a bold vision for the region—unlocking £38 billion in economic value through innovation, skills, and civic responsibility. Crucially, universities in South London are not bystanders to this vision. Universities are active partners—helping shape clusters of growth, providing skills pathways, delivering social value, and convening ecosystems that link research, business, and policy.

The Growth Ambitions Statement identifies four clusters where South London can lead: health and life sciences, net zero and nature, creative and digital industries, and the experience and visitor economy. These are not abstract opportunities—they are places where universities are already engaged.

• City St George’s, driving cutting-edge health and biomedical research and the largest provider of health and medical education in the capital, strengthening one of Europe’s largest health science ecosystems
• Kingston University and University of the Arts London are nurturing creative industries, design-led innovation, and entrepreneurial graduates who fuel South London’s vibrant digital, creative and cultural economy.
• University of Roehampton is championing sustainability and wellbeing, embedding climate resilience and community health into teaching, research, and civic partnerships, while working with organisations of all sizes and sectors, from start-ups to large complex organisations, and from charities to small community enterprises.
• St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, with their new School of Medicine, offering a unique curriculum with a focus on digital innovation, state-of-the-art facilities, and diverse placements to train complete doctors.
• London South Bank University (LSBU) excels in providing both high-quality, practical professional and technical education and businesses with access to their expertise, research, and facilities to solve problems, develop new products and services, and foster innovation.

And the South London Boroughs of Croydon, Merton, Sutton, Richmond, and Kingston all benefit daily from student enterprise, graduate talent, and staff expertise embedded in local organisations.

Together, these universities are not just producing knowledge but applying it in ways that reinforce South London’s identity as a region of innovation, creativity, and civic responsibility.

Through our Entrepreneurial Universities in Place campaign launching in the Autumn, NCEE provides practical blueprints that help institutions and partnerships take their engagement further. South London’s universities are already exemplifying many of these approaches.

• Soft Landings for Inward Investment: The London Cancer Hub and digital hubs in Croydon already attract new firms into South London. Universities play a vital role in providing the networks, research expertise, and talent pipelines that make investment sustainable.
• Business Clinics and Innovation Consultancies: South London’s universities are deeply engaged with SMEs, offering student consultancy projects, applied research, and innovation audits. These services are lifelines for smaller firms, helping them adapt and grow in competitive markets.
• Social Value Frameworks: The region’s universities are embedding inclusion and civic responsibility—whether through community partnerships, widening participation, or ensuring procurement practices benefit local suppliers. This aligns directly with SLP’s commitment that no one should be left behind in the race for growth.
• Researcher Development Pathways: Early-career researchers in South London are being supported to develop entrepreneurial skills alongside academic expertise. Pathways to recognition, such as Chartered Scientist status, demonstrate the region’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders.

The Growth Ambitions Statement also calls for devolution—for powers and resources to sit closer to the communities they affect. This is where the role of universities as trusted civic leaders is essential.

South London’s universities already bring credibility with government networks, international connections, and deep local roots. Their entrepreneurial leadership ensures they are not passive recipients of policy but active shapers of regional strategy. As the devolution debate gathers pace, the visible commitment of universities will be critical to South London’s case for investment and powers.

Central to our mission is nurturing entrepreneurial leadership. We know that growth strategies succeed when leaders are visionary, outward-facing, and willing to work across boundaries. In South London, we see this in action. Our role is to support, amplify, and connect these efforts to a national conversation about the role of higher education in place-based growth.

South London’s Growth Ambitions Statement is not simply a plan on paper—it is a lived reality, already being shaped by the work of its universities and partners. Entrepreneurial universities in the region are anchoring clusters, attracting investment, delivering social value, and preparing the next generation of leaders.

South London has made its case for growth, and its universities are already at the forefront of delivery. Our role is to ensure their work is recognised, celebrated, and scaled—so that the partnership between higher education and place continues to power inclusive, innovation-led, and sustainable prosperity.

To find out more about entrepreneurial leadership, visit www.ncee.org.uk/entrepreneurial-leadership.

Read the South London BIG Ambition growth strategy

 

Ceri Nursaw Bio

Ceri Nursaw is the Chief Executive of NCEE (the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education), which supports higher education to embed enterprising and entrepreneurial behaviour.  With university members from across the globe, NCEE has a bases in UK and China.  The Centre’s work ranges from knowledge exchange, enterprise, place-based engagement, leadership development (with its influential Entrepreneurial University Leaders programme), curriculum enhancement and supporting innovation.

Ceri has a 25-year track record of working with higher education to support economic development.  One of her first roles was on secondment to the Local Authority to support regeneration work between higher education and the City.  For the last 10 years she has also run her own consultancy and project implementation support to further social mobility, with clients including the National Health Service, OFS and universities across the UK.