At the Heart of Innovation: Reflections from the ESBF Finals
Stephen Brown, Impact Lead for Enactus UK & Ireland, shares how Enactus sits at the heart of innovation, drawing from his experience recruiting bright young minds at the ESBF. Through his work, he sees firsthand how students turn bold ideas into real-world impact—bridging creativity, entrepreneurship, and social good. His reflections highlight why nurturing emerging talent is essential to driving meaningful change.
Within my role as an Impact Lead, I’m always on the lookout for fresh ideas and student-led innovations. Twelve months ago, I first heard about an incredible project emerging from Cardiff University, led by four passionate students. I heard they were attending a competition that week in London, and having reach out last-minute to the organisers for a ticket, I, for the first time in my career, managed to convince Amy that I'd had a good idea, and I should go to the finals to meet the team.
When I attended the ESBF finals in 2024, my main goal was simply to help re-establish the Enactus Cardiff team. I knew that if they managed to build their prototype, they could create real impact - maybe even perform well within our competitions and opportunities. Fast-forward to this year, and that same project, Spiruflow, brilliantly represented the UK & Ireland at the Enactus World Cup in Bangkok, reaching the Top 16. Suffice to say, they exceeded every expectation (and Enactus Cardiff is going strong!).
Enactus Cardiff Team Announced as a Top 16 Finalist at the EWC 2025
Innovation is one of Enactus’ core pillars, and we know engineers often sit at the heart of that progress. Staying connected to new ideas across our partner institutions helps us spot opportunities where students can make a sustained difference in their communities. Returning to ESBF this year with Spiruflow as a success story made it even easier to pitch Enactus- especially with members of our own network and alumni present at the event, continuing to be our strongest ambassadors (and competitors!).
From rapid water-testing devices for cryptosporidium, to novel VR phobia treatement, aerospace materials and next-generation medical simulators. The projects at this year’s ESBF finals, once again, showcased an incredible diversity of ideas- all committed to making the world better and more interesting. It's easy to see how naturally these innovations align with our own: the creativity, technical expertise and purpose on display is the same that I have the pleasure to see every day in our own Enactus teams.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s event. Once again thank you to Matt Needham for the invitation and for hosting such a successful event- and if this year’s finals are anything to go by, the future of student-led innovation is in very good hands.
