NatWest has announced partnerships with four leading UK universities in a bid to help “strengthen” the UK’s innovation and start-up ecosystem.

NatWest said the move, which sees it partner with the University of Manchester, University of Brighton, University of York, and Equinox, a new economic growth partnership led by the
University of Oxford, would bring the NatWest Accelerator to start-ups, growth business, students, staff and alumni, and broaden collaboration between these institutions and the bank.

The NatWest Accelerator is a free programme designed to help UK entrepreneurs scale their businesses by providing expert coaching, networking opportunities, and access to physical coworking spaces.

The programme offers workshops, events, and a community of like-minded peers to support entrepreneurs in areas like leadership development, accessing new markets, and securing funding.

Through the partnerships with York and Brighton, the bank said it will also create onsite accelerator hubs where entrepreneurs can run their business day to day and benefit from networking, mentoring and export support, adding to the 12-strong network of existing accelerator hubs which the bank runs across the UK.

NatWest aims to sign further six university partnerships by the end of 2027.

According to newly published research from NatWest, businesses who go through its accelerator programme grew their turnover by 104 per cent year on year, against an average of 20 per cent in a control group.

Additionally, nine out of 10 businesses who complete the bank’s Accelerator programme are still trading three years afterwards against a control group of four out of 10.

“Our accelerator community has always been about empowering entrepreneurs to scale and succeed,” said Robert Begbie, chief executive commercial & institutional banking at NatWest Group. “By partnering with leading universities and surpassing our 2025 ambition, we’re showing how collaboration can drive sustainable growth across every region of the UK.

“In turn, this will create opportunities that align with national priorities and help build a stronger economy for all."

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