Real Ideas

Social enterprise has the power to change the world

Real Ideas is passionate about solving social problems and they work with individuals and organisations to harness the power of social enterprise to deliver real and lasting social change.

The University of Plymouth was the first university in the world to be awarded the Social Enterprise Mark in recognition of working as a genuine social enterprise, caring for communities and protecting the planet. It is only natural therefore to find ourselves working in partnership.

Real Ideas has a proud track record of setting up and running creative, innovative and award-winning social enterprises.

This has breathed new life into historic buildings such as the Devonport Guildhall with its wonderful artisan Column Bakehouse, and the Devonport Markethall was transformed into a digital hub with our Institute of Digital Art and Technology.

Together we explore opportunities to enhance the Plymouth student experience, whilst adding real value to our local community.

Illuminate

The mesmerising array of light installations created by students and graduates of the University created a buzz

The free event, led by a partnership of the University, the Real Ideas Organisation, Plymouth College of Art, and Urban Splash is a spectacular light-based festival that connects all of the Mayflower 400 destinations across the UK and internationally.

University staff and students play numerous important roles in the successful delivery of the festival from contributing to the organisation of the event through to showcasing staff and student work.

Find out more about Illuminate

SOUP

Soup is an international crowdfunding phenomenon that brings communities together to raise small-scale investment to kick-start new businesses or ideas.

Real Ideas successfully support community projects with this simple concept and the University of Plymouth complements this by providing opportunities for investment-hungry businesses to pitch their ideas.