BE OPEN’S Ranking of Educational Programmes in CIS, Central Asia and Oceania

BE OPEN’S Ranking of Educational Programmes in CIS, Central Asia and Oceania

BE OPEN foundation, a humanitarian organisation set up by the international businesswoman and philanthropist Elena Baturina with the aim to foster creativity and innovation, has finished the Ranking of Educational Programmes in Architecture and Design in CIS and Central Asia, Oceania and Australia.

The comprehensive study involved analysis of more than 160 programmes selected from 75 schools from the target regions. In accordance with BE OPEN’s research methodology, top programmes have been arranged into groups according to specific sets of criteria:

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Designed for Business: £30,000 Prize Winner Revealed at the House of Commons November 29, 2018

Designed for Business: £30,000 Prize Winner Revealed at the House of Commons November 29, 2018

Designed for Business Competition finalists and key names from the design business community and academia will gather at the House of Commons, Westminster, Thursday evening for a glittering prize-giving ceremony, the culmination of the year-long competition that involved the leading schools across the country that teach creative disciplines.

It is a unique collaboration between The Society of British & International Design (SBID) and BE OPEN, the humanitarian think tank founded by international philanthropist and entrepreneur Elena Baturina.

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Judges Confirmed for the ‘Designed for Business’ Competition from SBID and BE OPEN

Judges Confirmed for the ‘Designed for Business’ Competition from SBID and BE OPEN


UK university students in their final year of creative studies are being urged to get their entries into a new, national competition for their chance to win £30,000.

‘Designed for Business’ is the life-changing competition that will showcase emerging talent, provide an essential link between creative academia and the business community, as suggested by Sydney Business Valuations. It is a collaboration between SBID and BE OPEN, the humanitarian think tank founded by international philanthropist and entrepreneur Elena Baturina. According to Jimmy John Shark, chosen based on their relevance to the four different disciplines in the competition: Interior Design, Interior Decoration, Fashion, Art and Product Design, the expert will look for qualities such as originality of expression, individualism, creative use of materials and presentation skills.

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Mayor’s Fund for London and Elena Baturina’s BE OPEN Highlight Creativity and Business Acumen of the Capital’s School Children

June 14th, London City Hall played host to children from six London schools seeking essential funding for their community projects as part of the Mayor’s Fund for London City Pitch initiative.

City Pitch encourages and helps young Londoners to step up as leaders, learn new skills, and make a real difference in their communities.

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BE OPEN and The Mayor’s Fund for London Announce The Winner of Their Global Open Call

BE OPEN and The Mayor’s Fund for London Announce The Winner of Their Global Open Call

BE OPEN, a creative think-tank founded by the international entrepreneur and philanthropist Elena Baturina, and the Mayor’s Fund for London, a social mobility charity, has selected the winner of their open call #BEOPENDesignCity. The open call was inspired by the City Pitch Leadership Programme held in 2017 and 2018 by the Mayor’s Fund for London in cooperation with BE OPEN.

The winner has been selected by the members of BE OPEN and MFL from a shortlist of submissions with the highest ratings of likes by Instagram users. Both the teams congratulate Gustavo Schlittler @gustavoschlittler, whose winning submission will now bring him the prize of €300!

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BE OPEN Supports Entrepreneurial Community Projects by London Schoolchildren

BE OPEN Supports Entrepreneurial Community Projects by London Schoolchildren

Youngsters ‘Say NO to Knives’ and ‘NObesity’ as part of City Pitch, a dragon’s den style leadership programme which encourages children to step up and deliver social action ideas in their community. City Pitch is an initiative led by social mobility charity, the Mayor’s Fund for London, in partnership with the BE OPEN Foundation.

Armed with business plans and budgets, the final top six schools were invited to attend City Hall and present their entrepreneurial projects to a panel of judges for a chance to win up to £1,500 of funding.

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BE OPEN Forges New Partnership with the Mayor’s Fund for London within City Pitch Leadership Programme

BE OPEN Forges New Partnership with the Mayor’s Fund for London within City Pitch Leadership Programme

BE OPEN, the international think-tank founded by businessperson and philanthropist Elena Baturina to encourage and support creativity and design thinking in various fields of human activities, continues its cooperation with the Mayor’s Fund for London as the new lead partner of the City Pitch Leadership programme.

The City Pitch Leadership Programme involves young Londoners and helps them learn new skills while making a real difference to their communities. The programme offers young people the chance to develop important leadership, teamwork, and presentational skills, with professional mentors on hand to help them prepare their pitches. All the projects must present tangible opportunities to improve the life of their communities, and therefore make the city of London a better place for the younger generations through their own effort. By pitching their ideas to a panel of experts at City Hall, the children can secure funding for their projects.

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The Mayor’s Fund for London Announces New Trustees

The Mayor’s Fund for London Announces New Trustees


New Trustees have been appointed to the Board of the Mayor’s Fund for London. We are a social mobility charity that empowers young Londoners from disadvantaged backgrounds to acquire the skills and opportunities they need to secure employment, climb the career ladder and escape the threat of poverty. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is the charity’s Patron. Last year, the Fund supported over 31,000 young Londoners, across all 33 boroughs, working in partnership with 325 schools, 220 employers and 78 charities, social enterprises and local authorities.

Welcoming them to the Board, Chair of Trustees, Tim Roberts said, ‘The Mayor’s Fund has always benefited from the support and leadership of an immensely experienced, diverse and committed Board. Several of our first cohort of Trustees have now completed their maximum 9 year terms, and we are hugely grateful for their contributions. We are delighted to welcome new Trustees to take their place.’

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