Applied Science University (ASU), Bahrain
Financial assistance to the local community for starting sustainable businesse

Yes. ASU provides direct financial assistance and structured ecosystem support to help members of the local community—including students, graduates, and productive families—start and grow financially and socially sustainable businesses. The University allocates dedicated annual budget lines (BD 75,000 in 2019–20; BD 77,000 in 2020–21) to support local community businesses and has published named cash grants to specific start‑ups, alongside incubation, training, and routes to external finance through governmental and private partners. [1]

1.   Governance and delivery mechanisms

Business Incubation Centre (BIC)

ASU’s institutional hub for entrepreneurship providing education, mentorship, resources, events, and pathways to finance for new ventures from the local community [2].

-Strategic commitment

ASU’s sustainability site confirms the University “supports the local community by providing assistance to start‑up and socially sustainable businesses,” with BIC supervision of hundreds of start‑ups and growing shares of sustainable enterprises [2].

Partnerships for finance and scale

ASU holds an MoU with Flat6Labs (regional accelerator offering seed funding up to US$30k and non‑cash benefits) and collaborates with Tamkeen (Labour Fund), the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, UNIDO, and the British Council to widen access to finance and capability‑building [1] [3].

2.   Direct financial assistance from ASU to community start‑ups

ASU publishes audited examples of cash support to local ventures and community enterprise platforms:

• Annual budget lines for local community businesses: BD 75,000 (2019–20) and BD 77,000 (2020–21) embedded in the University budget [1].
• Named grant recipients (amounts disclosed by ASU):
  • The Stories Studio WLL (video‑game studio for social impact) – BD 4,000.
  • The Experience Accelerator WLL (leadership e‑learning platform) – BD 4,500.
  • Hommycook (home‑cooked food marketplace) – BD 3,200.
  • Local Productive Families annual exhibition hosted and supported by ASU – BD 4,000 to enable family producers to sell at ASU [1].
• Additional start‑ups supported financially and/or with consultancy (ASU‑listed): Besuited, Bossy Kitchen, and others [1].
• External grant brokered via ASU: Capital Governorate BD 35,000 award “for creating a start‑up” to an ASU student—publicly reported by ASU as part of its SDG 1 evidence [1].

-Relevance to “sustainable businesses”

ASU frames the programme around “financially and socially sustainable businesses”, and the University reports that 34% of ventures in the BIC were sustainable in 2022–23, evidencing the sustainability lens in funded/assisted enterprises [2].

3.   Evidence of enabling access to finance for the wider community

w  University‑run access‑to‑finance events (open to youth/community)

• Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2020 seminar “Funding Opportunities for Startups and Young Entrepreneurs in the Covid‑19 Era” hosted by ASU in partnership with Tamkeen; speakers included Ebdaa Bank (micro‑loans), Tenmou (business angels), Flat6Labs (seed funding), and Zoomal (crowdfunding) [4].
• “Kick‑Start Your Business” Workshop (with Tamkeen) [3].
• Lecture by Tamkeen on entrepreneurship & funding routes [5].
• Lecture by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism on regulatory and enterprise pathways [6].
• Forum with UNIDO & British Council introducing youth to entrepreneurship and how to overcome regional challenges (hosted at ASU with private‑sector partner Origin Group) [1].

-Incubation & outreach activities that include the community

• BIC activity metrics: (2019–2023) 800+ beneficiaries and 219 start‑ups supervised; updated figures show 3,000+ beneficiaries and 297 start‑ups (including 63 in 2023). Female entrepreneurs form 53% of BIC founders [2] [7].
• Community marketplace: Local Productive Families exhibitions on campus enabling family micro‑enterprises to sell and gain exposure—financially supported by ASU [8].

4.   Selected documented cases (ASU‑published)

5.   Pathways to external finance that ASU opens for the community

• Flat6Labs MoU gives ASU‑linked start‑ups access to seed funding up to US$30k, mentorship, legal support, and workspace [1].
• Tamkeen collaborations (workshops, GEW event) direct participants to national grants and co‑funding programmes [4][3].
• Investor & lender access through GEW: Tenmou (angel investment) and Ebdaa Bank (micro‑finance) presentations on how to raise capital without burdensome debt [4].

6.   Quantified impact and inclusivity

• Budgeted financial assistance for local businesses: BD 75k (2019–20) → BD 77k (2020–21) [1].
• Start‑ups supported: 219 (2019–2023) and 297 cumulatively by 2023; 63 new in 2023 [2][7].
• Sustainability share: 34% of BIC businesses were sustainable in 2022–23 [2].
• Gender balance: 53% women among BIC entrepreneurs—evidence of inclusive access to finance‑linked support [7].

7.   Public‑facing evidence set (verifiable)

• ASU SDG 1.4.1 page (financial support lines, named grants, BD 35k Capital Governorate award; Flat6Labs seed funding) [1].
• ASU SDG 1.4.4 page (assistance to “financially and socially sustainable businesses”; beneficiaries; 34% sustainable ventures) [2].
• ASU SDG 5.6.7 page (BIC metrics; GEW 2020 funding seminar with Tamkeen/Ebdaa/ Tenmou/Flat6Labs/Zoomal) [7].
• Event artefacts: Kick‑Start Your Business (Tamkeen), Lecture by Tamkeen, Lecture by Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (PDFs with photos) [3].
• Local Productive Families exhibitions (financial aid & marketplace) [8].

8.   Alignment with THE Impact Rankings (SDG 1 – Target 1.4; Indicator 1.4.4)

Criterion met: University provides assistance to start‑ups (particularly financially and/or socially sustainable businesses) through training, materials, mentorship and finance.
ASU evidence: ring‑fenced budget lines for community businesses; published grant amounts to multiple ventures; incubation and finance‑access events with national stakeholders; documented outcomes (hundreds of start‑ups; increasing sustainability share; women’s participation at 53%) [1] [2].

9.   Submission‑ready KPI snapshot

Recommendations to maximise THE scoring (optional)

1. Keep multi‑year budgets online (update 2021–22 to 2024–25) and maintain a public ledger of grants (amount, recipient, sustainability tag) [1].
2. Publish selection and due‑diligence criteria for grants, with an explicit sustainability rubric tied to SDG indicators.
3. Evidence of community reach: tag which beneficiaries are non‑ASU community members (e.g., Local Productive Families, alumni, external residents) [1].
4. Outcome tracking: jobs created, revenue, survival rates at 12/24/36 months for funded start‑ups.

Conclusion

ASU demonstrably allocates institutional funds, awards direct grants, and mobilises national partners to assist the local community in launching sustainable businesses. The University’s published budgets, case‑based grants, and recurring access‑to‑finance programming meet and exceed THE’s SDG 1.4.4 expectations for financial assistance and enabling infrastructure to reduce poverty through entrepreneurship [1] [2].

References