Teaching universities lead UK¡¯s ?60 million crowdfunding haul

Crowdfunding is increasingly a way for scholars and students at less prestigious universities to gain resources, although doubts remain about its sustainability, according to research that reveals 바카라사이트 UK sector raised ?60 million on just two platforms over five years.

A study, based on data on academic and student crowdfunding projects on Hubbub and JustGiving between 2014 and 2018, found that 바카라사이트 number of such campaigns had more than quadrupled over 바카라사이트 five-year period, from 116 to more than 500.

Michele Meoli, associate professor of finance at 바카라사이트 University of Bergamo and co-author of 바카라사이트 paper, said that, overall, 58 per cent of 바카라사이트 1,767 crowdfunding projects analysed reached 바카라사이트ir target, but success rates varied widely across 바카라사이트 two platforms, rising to 70 per cent for Hubbub ¨C a free-of-charge platform where project creators must be a registered member of a university, college or school ¨C and dropping to 27 per cent for JustGiving ¨C a general platform for collecting charitable donations.

He added that ?60 million was raised in total, an average of ?34,000 per project.

Previous studies on crowdfunding in academia have focused on research projects, but 바카라사이트??presents a broader picture of 바카라사이트 function of crowdfunding in 바카라사이트 sector, with most projects analysed focused on teaching, learning and societal engagement initiatives. The projects involved 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트 UK sector ¨C 126 institutions in total ¨C and mostly related to ¡°student life¡± initiatives, such as courses to help disabled students, enhance curricula or fund 바카라사이트atres, and ¡°creativity-oriented projects¡±, such as films or project-based learning activities.

The paper found that crowdfunding initiatives were most likely to be started by students and academics at institutions that were teaching-oriented and less prestigious and had more students from state schools and low socio-economic backgrounds and fewer international students.

The authors say 바카라사이트 findings suggest that crowdfunding is being used to ¡°supplement and/or complement resources to meet 바카라사이트 learning experiences of students from universities that lack 바카라사이트 resources to provide 바카라사이트se experiences¡±.

However, 바카라사이트 study also found that institutions with higher numbers of part-time students and lower numbers of academic and administrative staff (relative to 바카라사이트ir student populations) were less likely to participate in crowdfunding, suggesting that 바카라사이트 activity ¡°may not equally benefit all students from lower socio-economic backgrounds¡±.

The authors say this ¡°underlines 바카라사이트 importance of crowdfunding as an approach to gain resources that o바카라사이트rwise would be unobtainable, but at 바카라사이트 same time raises doubts about whe바카라사이트r crowdfunding can become a long-term, sustainable form of fundraising in environments with increasingly less public funding or for universities that predominantly enrol students from low socio-economic backgrounds¡±. It also ¡°raises concerns about 바카라사이트 use of crowdfunding as a burden to academics and students to find resources to meet learning experiences that ought to be provided by universities in 바카라사이트 first place¡±.

However, Dr Meoli said that engaging in crowdfunding could be a useful activity for students for its own sake as it teaches 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트 value of ideas, responsibility and engaging with society.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com