One of the county’s top entrepreneurs has given his name to new and innovative learning space at Buckinghamshire New University, where students can develop their business ideas.

Mike Clare, has opened the Clare Business School Experiential Learning Space at the Queen Alexandra Road campus in High Wycombe.

The open plan space aims to stimulate ideas with an interactive whiteboard, a cluster of laptop and wifi connectivity along with informal and colourful seating.

Mike Clare said: “I am very proud and privileged to have the Business School named after me and this Experiential Learning Space is another important step in providing support to entrepreneurial students enabling them to meet, work and develop their ideas.”

The Clare Business School covers a wide range of business-related courses at Bucks New University and provides opportunities for firms to work with students in various ways such as: getting students to work on live company sponsored briefs that are supervised by tutors, offering internships or by mentoring students wanting to start up their own business.

Students work in subject areas including market research; branding, PR; media effectiveness and evaluation; social media strategies, HR reviews and supporting start-ups.

Third-year BA (Hons) Business Management student April Humphry was among students who spoke at the launch about entrepreneurial activities they had been doing as part of their course and also, in some cases, in their own time.

April said: “This kind of space acts as a fantastic centre for students to meet and exchange ideas and shows the University’s commitment to developing entrepreneurial skills in students.”