Partnership with FinTech West aims to enhance experience and employability for UWE Bristol students

The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and FinTech West have formed a strategic partnership that aims to draw on specialist industry expertise to create stronger graduate industry pathways and advance meaningful research with regional and national impact for the FinTech industry.

Driven by UWE Bristol’s Business School, the partnership has been formalised following several years of close collaboration between the two organisations and is built around enhancing the student experience and employability. As well as co-developing UWE Bristol’s MSc FinTech programme, FinTech West will bring an extensive network to connect students with live industry projects, provide access to internships, and the opportunity to build their professional networks with practitioners, mentors and potential employers.

UWE Bristol’s MSc FinTech programme has been designed to offer students a distinctive blend of technical FinTech experience and entrepreneurial capability, developing the practical skills that founders and innovators need to bring ideas to market. The programme’s enterprise elements will be co-developed with FinTech West and build on UWE Bristol’s strong heritage of embedding entrepreneurship across its courses.

Beyond the benefits to students, the partnership will expand on previous research collaboration between the two organisations across sustainable finance and sustainable innovation, and open up new opportunities for UWE Bristol academics to work closely with FinTech companies seeking emerging talent and research expertise.

Dr Vasco Vendrame, Associate Director of Academic Enhancement in UWE Bristol’s College of Business and Law, said: “Our partnership with FinTech West will allow us to design modules that are even more future-focused, closely aligned with the fast-evolving nature of the fintech sector. By drawing on its specialist expertise and deep connections across the industry, the modules co-developed with FinTech West will integrate current trends, real world challenges, and emerging technologies, ensuring our students will be ready to transition seamlessly into industry once they graduate.

“For industry - particularly SMEs - the partnership provides a direct bridge to our emerging talent pipeline and academic expertise. FinTech West will help connect businesses with students and researchers who can contribute fresh ideas, specialist knowledge, and innovative thinking. It strengthens our shared ambition to support innovation and sustain regional economic growth in the south west.”

“The south west has one of the most dynamic FinTech ecosystems in the UK, with startups, scale-ups and established financial institutions all drawing on the region’s exceptional university talent and research capabilities,” said Stuart Harrison, Founder and Director of FinTech West.

“However, across the industry we consistently hear the same challenge - how to connect students and researchers with businesses early enough, and in ways that genuinely reflect how organisations operate in practice. Our work with UWE Bristol is about reducing that friction and creating clearer pathways between study and work, as well as between research and commercialisation. By bringing universities and industry closer together, we can help students develop the applied skills and confidence employers need, while strengthening the region’s position as a leading FinTech innovation hub.”