UnLtd has chosen 56 higher education institutions in England to receive £25,000 each in order to inspire and nurture social entrepreneurship within their establishments.

The funding, totalling £1.4m, is part of a £2m higher education support initiative launched by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and delivered by social enterprise support charity UnLtd.

The grants will be used to build social entrepreneurship into the institutions' culture and infrastructure, by testing methods of finding, funding and supporting social entrepreneurs from within their ranks.

The chosen institutions will also be connected with local business professionals providing pro bono support to staff and students looking to start up social ventures.

The winners, which include the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge as well as lesser-known universities such as Edge Hill University and Bishop Grosseteste in Lincoln, were selected through a competitive process. Each university submitted suggested outreach approaches, which included master classes from well-known social entrepreneurs and virtual hubs designed to raise awareness of support available to those interested in starting a social venture.

Cliff Prior, CEO of UnLtd said: "We received an overwhelming and brilliant response to the initiative from universities in England and selecting the 56 was a difficult process.

"We believe the chosen universities will deliver high-quality support, helping both staff and students to start up and thrive as social entrepreneurs, and that they will show how this work can be embedded across higher education to improve student experience, employability, research and studies."

A full list of successful applicants is found here.