News Story

Community Innovation Hub in Milton Keynes – Showcase event

Wednesday 23 Apr 2025

On the 4th of April 2025, Prof Katerina Alexiou and Prof Theo Zamenopoulos celebrated the conclusion of a six-month project funded by the OU’s Open Societal Challenges programme and led in partnership with MK Community Foundation. The project piloted a Community Innovation Hub in Milton Keynes, aiming to support SMEs and ethnic minority businesses. The event was hosted at the OU Business School with support from academic colleagues Fidele Mutwarasibo and Aqueel Wahga.

A keynote address on Inclusive Procurement was delivered by Reshma Sheikh, Managing Director of MSDUK, a leading organisation championing supplier diversity across the UK. Alex Cole, entrepreneur in residence at the Open University and Venture Partner at TIN Ventures, moderated a panel discussion with Georgina Thompson, Business Improvement Manager at MK College Group, and Reshma Sheikh. The event also featured SME founders who participated in the pilot and benefitted from a series of online business support sessions.

Colleagues will be sharing more insights from the pilot in due course. For more information:

MK Community Foundation leads Open Societal Challenges grant to launch community innovation hub

MK Community Foundation

MSDUK

Open Societal Challenges