DMU Made Workshops
This four-week programme starting at the end of October, provides practical guidance and tools to help aspiring freelancers and entrepreneurs develop, launch and grow their ventures.
Across the programme, participants will explore branding, social media, website development, business planning, Canva, SEO and digital analytics, alongside practical advice on registering and running a business. Sessions will also introduce participants to the Leicester business community, Instagram for business, AI tools and best practices, and the support available through DMU Made.
The programme concludes with a focus on developing and pitching a business idea, giving participants the confidence and practical knowledge to take their freelance or startup venture forward. These workshops will be occurring every month.
Week One:
Tuesday 27 October: Branding your freelance/startup venture
Wednesday 28 October: Social Media for your freelance/startup venture
Thursday 29 October: How to build a website for your freelance/startup venture or portfolio
Week Two:
Tuesday 3 November: How to write a business plan
Wednesday 4 November: Getting the best out of Canva
Thursday 5 November: Working with Google Analytics, Google AdSense and SEO
Week Three:
Tuesday 10 November: How the Leicester business community can support you
Wednesday 11 November: 10 Ways to use Instagram for your business
Thursday 12 November: How to register as a Sole Trader / Register a business
Week Four:
Tuesday 17 November: Do's and Don'ts of using AI in your business
Wednesday 18 November: How DMU Made can support your freelancing/business venture
Thursday 19 November: How to pitch a business idea
Click here to book your place today.
DMU Global Future Freelancers trip to Bergen in Norway
Applications for the DMU Global Future Freelancers trip to Bergen in Norway are now open!
All DMU students are eligible to participate on this opportunity. In particular, we are looking for students with a demonstrable interest in freelancing and self-employment, preferably you will be looking to launch and formally register your own business idea, which we can assist with.
Trip description
This trip to Bergen will explore how freelancing, self-employment, business, and sustainability are critical part of Bergen’s infrastructure. It will also provide students with opportunities to explore how entrepreneurial and creative skills can help them become the enterprising graduates of the future. Participants will undertake tasks which will help them to develop a range of skills including:
Social Media
Personal branding online and offline
Networking
Team work
Underpinned by a community of ambitious founders, Bergen has a thriving programme of start-up events, innovation hubs and business programmes. This trip will explore how this community works alongside and with the Universities to support growth and innovation. This trip will enable students to interact with local organisations including the University of Bergen, innovative projects, and entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of pioneering solutions to global challenges.
Students will learn about ideation, prototyping, and the essential skills needed to succeed in the entrepreneurial world. Engaging with Norwegian academics and students will provide students with a unique international perspective on education, research, and business practices, enriching their academic and personal growth or a placement. Meeting successful entrepreneurs and witnessing innovative projects can be highly motivating. Students may return home with newfound inspiration to pursue their own entrepreneurial ventures or innovative ideas.
Alternatively, they may use new knowledge acquired through the trip to enhance their employability, developing new entrepreneurial and business skills which can be applied within a placement or job role. Through group workshops and fun, practical tasks, students will also develop and implement transferable skills linked with creativity and marketing. Students will be allocated practical tasks to complete during the trip, which will help them to develop and apply skills around digital marketing and social media.
You'll pay the incredible price of just £378. DMU Global pays the rest!
Application Deadline: 26/10/26 at 9:00 am
Win a share of £3000! DMU Made / ESBF Competition 2026
Join the DMU Made Engineers and Scientists in Business (ESBF) Competition 2026 and work in a team to develop an innovative idea to address a real-world challenge.
This two-part programme will see participants work together in teams* to solve a sustainability problem utilising entrepreneurial skills, with up to £3000 in prize money available for the best ideas. *each team must have a member from the Faculty of Technology, Arts and Culture, however students from other faculties may participate.
Teams must be between 4 and 10 persons, either come as a team or create one during the first session.
Participants must attend both sessions - please ensure when booking, you register for both.
Sign up for FREE here: https://my-gateway.dmu.ac.uk/leap/event.html?id=2661&service=Careers+Service
Freelance Connect: Creative Industry talks & networking
Thursday, 12 November 2026, 1 - 2pm, Phoenix Arts Centre and Cinema. 4 Midland Street Leicester LE1 1TG
The cafe will be open for you to purchase drinks, and food can be purchased afterwards from the cafe.
Join us at this free event at Phoenix Cinema & Art Centre, home to some of Leicester's best Creative Industries startups. You'll hear from inspiration guest speakers including entrepreneurial students and alumni, and there will be time to informally network and make brand new connections.
The cafe will be open for you to purchase drinks, and food can be purchased afterwards from the cafe.
Click here to book today.
Pitch2Win
Have a business idea you’ve been thinking about bringing to life? This is your opportunity to make it happen.
No idea is too small or too big. Every concept has potential, and pitching it is the first step towards turning it into something real. Whether you’re thinking about a side hustle or exploring a brand new concept, getting your idea out there could open unexpected doors.
From Thursday 28 May onwards, the DMU Made Team will be hosting weekly pitching sessions every Thursday, giving you a supportive platform to present your idea, gain feedback, and build confidence.
As an added incentive, you’ll also have the chance to win the Pitch2Win monthly prize of £100!
Take the first step, share your idea, and see where it could lead you!
Book your 15 minute slot today via MyGateway.
We look forward to hearing your pitch!
Register Now for the Free Future Freelancers Programme 2026.
Interested in working as a freelancer, either alongside your studies or when you graduate? Maybe you want to make money alongside your studies instead of taking on a part-time job, or perhaps you want to know what's involved in being your own boss in future.
On this free programme, you'll learn skills, make new connections and friends, and receive the support you need.
For more information and to reserve your space, please click HERE
DMU Made Awards 2026: Nominations are open!
DMU Made, the part of Careers Team that helps students and graduates to develop entrepreneurial skills and launch new freelancing and startup ventures, has opened nominations for a special anniversary awards celebration taking place later this year.
The event, supported by The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity, will recognise twenty years of Careers Team leading extracurricular enterprise programmes, competitions and events for students and graduates at De Montfort University.
Details about the award itself will be released soon, but for now, students, graduates and staff can nominate deserving individuals across a host of categories. As this is a special milestone event, nominees can be anybody who has received support from the team – formerly known as Campus Enterprise Opportunities – over the last two decades.
Simon Baines, Enterprise Manager (Careers Team) said: “Our awards event has the reputation of being one of the biggest and most joyous events within the University, and we can’t wait to take it up a level when we celebrate two decades of nurturing and empowering so many students, graduates and also colleagues within the realm of entrepreneurship. With the world of work changing, we’ve never been busier, delivering activities inside and alongside the curriculum and it feels timely to take a moment to celebrate how we got here”.
To enable us to properly evaluate nominations, please provide us much detail as you can to support your submission.
There will also be awards for Staff Champion, 20 Years of Inspiration Award, Community & Collaboration Award and a Global Supporter Award with finalists determined by DMU Made.
How to register as a Sole Trader/Register a business
If you are a UK student or an EU student with settlement status, have your own side-hustle, money making venture, freelancing projects or a startup business, we’ll tell you how to register with HMRC to get your Unique Tax Reference No. We’ll also explain the benefits, and how it can unlock funding opportunities for you in DMU.
Simply book a one-to-one appointment with us via https://mygateway-dmu.ac.uk
Make Space
Do you have a creative side-project? Looking for a space to work, sew, design, create? All current students and recent graduates are welcome to work from the DMU Made Studio, which is open whenever the library is open (currently 24 hours). You can find this space on the first floor of the Kimberlin Library (Room 1.06). Find out more here.
DMUmade PopUps
We've teamed up with DSU to host a new, daily opUp Shop located in the SUsupplies Shop on the Ground Floor of the Campus Centre. Students who make their own products can apply for a free stall by emailing Andrew Reynolds. PopUp Shops are open on Mondays between 10am and 4pm.
Email dsupportunities@dsu.ac.uk to express an interest in having a stall.
ONGOING SUPPORT
A reminder that any student or graduate can receive one to one support, whether they have an existing business or would just like to know how to go about starting one.
One-to-ones are offered face to face and on line and can be booked via MyGateway or dmumade.com.
Further drop-in support and workspace will soon be available via the new Careers Hub in Hugh Aston.
