Business News Round Up (03/06/2025)
UK university launches national network for women in business
The University of Glasgow is to launch a programme of support for women entrepreneurs as part of a roll-out of the UK’s first university network for female business founders. Five universities, including Glasgow, will join the WE Innovate National network with the aim of supporting 150 women-led teams across the participating institutions each year. The network will be based on Imperial College London’s flagship competition for women entrepreneurs, WE Innovate – a six-month programme for 25 teams led by students, recent alumni and Early Career Researchers that has successfully established dozens of new women-led startups over recent years. The programme supports women founders through masterclasses, business coaching, one-to-one expert support, and peer mentoring, with the top five teams competing for a chance to win a share of a £30,000 prize fund.
https://www.digit.fyi/uk-unis-launch-national-network-for-women-in-business
North West the worst region outside London for minimum wage underpayment
The North West has the largest number of companies named and shamed after failing to pay some of their staff the minimum wage. North West workers affected are part of nearly 60,000 staff who have been left out of pocket and have been repaid over £7.4m, the Government has announced. The employers and businesses named today have since paid back what they owe to their staff and faced financial penalties of up to 200% of their underpayment. The investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) concluded between 2015-2022. Minister for Employment Rights, Justin Madders said: “There is no excuse for employers to undercut their workers, and we will continue to name companies who break the law and don’t pay their employees what they are owed.
Scotland to pioneer circular construction hub model targeting £67 million investment
Zero Waste Scotland has been selected as one of four European pilot projects developing a new model for recycling construction materials, with the initiative targeting over €80 million (approximately £67M) in private investment across the continent. The initiative will create a Circular Construction Hub (CCH) designed to function as a marketplace for second-hand building materials, connecting demolition projects with new construction developments. Scotland joins Munich, Copenhagen and Lisbon as pilot locations for the EU-backed programme. The project forms part of CirCoFin (Circular Construction Finance), a €6 million initiative funded through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, which aims to demonstrate that reusing construction materials can become standard practice rather than the exception. Zero Waste Scotland will spend the next two and a half years developing an investment-ready model for the hub, conducting feasibility studies and engaging with industry stakeholders.
Heriot-Watt University embarks on £35m sustainable brewing and distilling transformation
Heriot-Watt’s internationally recognised centre of excellence in brewing and distilling is set to undergo a 21st century transformation to ensure a sustainable and profitable future for both industries. The university is seeking to raise £35 million in order to realise our vision of building a new Centre for Sustainable Brewing and Distilling (CSBD), which will embrace the latest green technologies and sustainable practices so Heriot-Watt can evolve its world-renowned teaching and research to meet the challenges of the future. The CSBD will be a new state-of-the-art version of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), which since 1989 has been one of the world’s leading educational establishments, with prestigious undergraduate and graduate courses that have breathed new life into brewing and distilling – of huge importance to the Scottish and UK economies.