Climb 26

• You are a current Newcastle University student or recent graduate (within 2 years of graduation) 
• You must be engaged with the START UP Team, if you aren't already, we will connect you upon application.
• You must own the Intellectual Property (IP) or have permission to exploit any IP related to your idea/business.
• You must be able to start a business in the UK 
• You must be available to attend the full 2-days of Climb26 (Wednesday 1- Thursday 2 July 2026).
• Climb26 will be in the Leeds Dock area of Leeds (UK). Successful applicants must arrange their own travel and accommodation.
• Complete the application form and submit a 3-minute video pitching your business idea by 23:59 on Sunday 24 May 
• Applications & pitches will be reviewed by a panel of START UP staff and regional business stakeholders.
• Successful candidates will be informed w/c Monday 1 June

The panel will assess all applications to attend Climb26 against the following criteria:

• The Problem - What problem you are trying to solve?
• The Opportunity – What is your solution and what makes it distinctive? Who are your customers?
• Your Progress – What market research have you done? Have you got an MVP/ prototype? What evidence do you have that your idea or start-up is gaining traction?
• Climb26 - Why do you want to attend Climb26? How will you engage with the Climb26 community? What are the next steps in developing your idea or start-up, and how will Climb26 accelerate your progress?
• Communication – Have you been able to present your idea clearly and concisely? Have you demonstrated genuine enthusiasm for attending Climb26 and set out how you will engage with the wider Climb26 community? Video pitches must be no more than 3-minutes – any videos longer than 3-minutes may not be considered as part of the application process.

Tickets to attend Climb26 & £100 towards travel and accommodation are limited – it’s a competitive process.

For access to a range of resources to support you to develop your business proposition, please go to www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/startup/online-resources

If you have any questions regarding how applications to attend Climb26 are assessed, please speak to a member of the START UP team before submitting your application.

The £100 towards travel and accommodation is made to individuals (not to their businesses) and takes the form of an experiential learning grant. The University has the right to change its approach to how it promotes and administers grant funding. All updates will be set out at: (link to website)

To be eligible to apply for a ticket to Climb26 and £100 towards travel and accommodation, you must be a registered student at Newcastle University (UK) or a recent Newcastle University graduate within two years at the point of applying. You must also be eligible to engage in business activity/ start a business in the UK.

• Age Requirement – applicants must be aged 18 or over at the time of attending Climb16.
• International students – You must have the necessary immigration permission to engage in business activity and be self-employed in the UK and be legally residing within the UK. Please seek advice from the University’s Visa Team, if required. Support for International Students | Newcastle University
• Team applications – Only one application per idea or business will be considered; the £100 grant is awarded to the lead applicant only, and additional team members may attend Climb26 at their own cost. The lead applicant must be a Newcastle University student or recent graduate (up to 2 years after graduation).
• Intellectual Property (IP) - You must own the Intellectual Property (IP) or have permission to explore any IP related to your idea/ business.
• Business setup – That you are in a position to launch a business within the next 12 months, contingent on a viable market opportunity. If you successfully go on to start a business after receiving support to attend Climb26, we ask that you provide the START UP team with evidence of company formation or registration with HMRC. Please see further details about our annual Higher Education Business & Community Interaction Survey (HE-BCI).

Attendance requirements

Participants must attend both days of Climb26 (1-2 July 2026) in full. Attendance at key sessions is mandatory - key sessions include all scheduled workshops, roundtables, networking activities and any sessions identified as mandatory in the event programme. If a participant can no longer attend, they must notify the START UP team as soon as possible so that their place can be offered to someone else. Failure to attend Climb26 without notice may affect eligibility for future opportunities. If you are awarded the £100 grant but do not attend Climb26 without prior notice or a valid reason, the University reserves the right to reclaim the full amount of the grant and any associated costs.

Code of Conduct

Successful applicants must:

• Act respectfully toward fellow attendees, speakers and staff
• Contribute positively to the learning and networking environment
• Avoid any behaviour that is discriminatory, disruptive, or harmful
• Follow all venue rules and health & safety guidance

Participants are expected to:

• Engage fully in workshops, mentoring, and networking
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with fellow attendees
• Represent themselves, their business and Newcastle University professionally

Use of £100 grant

You are not required to submit receipts; however, the £100 grant must be used solely towards the cost of travel and accommodation to attend Climb26 on 1-2 July 2026. Successful applicants must arrange their own travel and accommodation to Climb26, which will take place in the Leeds Dock area of Leeds (UK).

Payment of £100 grant

The funds will be paid into the personal bank account of the applicant, or in the case of a team, to the lead person as identified in the application. The lead person must be a current Newcastle University (UK) student or recent graduate (up to two years). Grant payments will be made to successful applicants before the event, but applicants should not commit to any travel or accommodation costs until they have received written confirmation of their award.

Safeguarding and wellbeing

Applicants are responsible for their own safety and wellbeing while travelling to and attending Climb26; if you have any safeguarding concerns or require additional support, please contact the START UP team in advance.

Accessibility at the event

If you require reasonable adjustments to participate fully in Climb26, please inform the START UP team as early as possible so arrangements can be made with the event organisers.

Continued support

Successful applicants are required to meet with their Entrepreneurship & Start-Up Consultant or Business Advisor for a minimum of x2 times after attending Climb26. This is to provide continued support but also to inform the panel of your progress and the impact that attending Climb26 has had.

Tracking

All successful applicants will be required to inform us about the impact of support provided by completing a survey each year, from when you first receive support from the University to start your business, until your involvement with the business ends or it ceases to trade. This survey is called the Higher Education Business & Community Interaction Survey, and this is a requirement by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). At its core, the aim is to highlight the social, cultural and economic impact our community of Newcastle University founders are having – as a collective. We will reach out to you in September/ October each year via email and/ or telephone. Your data will be held in the strictest of confidence and only aggregated totals from all respondents will be reported. We won’t share your individual figures or any of your data with anyone outside of the University without your additional consent unless we’re required by law. All data will be stored securely within the EEA. Learn more about your data protection (Data Protection | Newcastle University).

Successful applicants might also be invited to participate in promotional material such as press releases, case studies and video content for our website and social media.

Intellectual Property

It is the responsibility of each applicant to confirm that you have the right to exploit any Intellectual Property (IP). You are wholly responsible for the protection of your IP and should acknowledge that it is advisable to not disclose information that you regard as being particularly commercially valuable. Where appropriate, we would advise you seek independent advice from an IP specialist. The UK Intellectual Property Office website is a good source of information on IP and confidentiality. For more information, visit Intellectual property and your work: What intellectual property is - GOV.UK  or the Business & IP Centre at Newcastle City Library BIPC North East - Business & IP Support in the North East

Involvement of Third Parties

The University may engage internal and external parties in evaluating applications. Parties involved in a panel will be given access to your application and pitch.

It is prudent not to disclose commercially sensitive information in your application. Please see IP section above. Where appropriate, it is advisable to seek independent legal advice. You can also talk to the START UP team, if you would like further advice on how to manage levels of disclosure related to your business opportunity/ business.

Criminal Activity

Successful applicants must not be involved in any form of illegal activity or activity which in the sole determination of Newcastle University may bring the University into disrepute. The University may reject applicants at any stage of the application process and may terminate an offer and require the repayment of the £100 grant & costs of the event ticket where activity is not in line with the values of the University and presents a potential reputational risk for the University.

Assessment of applications will be made in the context of the University’s values and in line with University processes and procedures.

Media and PR

Newcastle University’s START UP team reserves the right to publish information relating to successful applicants’ names, degrees, graduation years, testimonial quotes, and business information such as business name, summary, and URLs in the form of press releases, case studies and video content on our website and social media.

As part of Newcastle University’s widening participation agenda to support under-represented groups, we may ask applicants if they meet one or more of the widening participation eligibility criteria and if they consent to us sharing as part of the promotional materials mentioned above. Applicants can choose not to provide widening participation information. Whether or not applicants provide widening participation information has no impact on the outcome of their application to attend Climb26. Applicants can give or withdraw their consent for us to use widening participation information at any point during the application process or after being selected to attend Climb26.

Privacy Notice

Video pitches will be stored securely for the duration of the selection process and deleted within 12 months of the event unless further consent is obtained.

Newcastle University Careers Service must collect your personal data to process your application to attend Climb26, record the outcome and make you aware of other legitimate opportunities from the Careers Service and its trusted partners.

The personal data we will process are:

Your name, student number or date of birth, email address and personal bank details.

Your personal data is processed to deliver a contract between the University and you in relation to the START UP programme. We may share your data with third parties for the purpose of administering the application process, where we are required to report to programme funders and/ or where we use external assessors with relevant expertise. Your data may be held locally by Careers Service staff for up to a year following the conclusion of this process before it will be deleted to leave only a record of your participation on your central student or alumni record.

If you would like more information about how we manage personal data, including your rights under law and the contact details of the University’s Data Protection Officer, please visit Data Protection Policy | Newcastle University

Further information

Newcastle University reserves the right to amend all details of this opportunity at any time and change the Terms and Conditions without notice.

If you have any questions about Climb26 email startup@ncl.ac.uk