Students at Bradford University can apply for a share of £61,000 of funding and expert advice as part of a new initiative.

The RBS Enterprising Student Society Accreditation (ESSA) awards, which opened for applications this week, aim to promote the enterprising work carried out by university societies and the people behind them.

By becoming accredited by ESSA, societies have the opportunity to win cash through the awards, as well as receive a qualification, which is recognised by leading employers.

Last year saw three societies from Bradford gain accreditation to the scheme, seeing it ranked 33rd on the RBS Enterprising Students Ranking table.

The initiative – which overall saw 458 societies with 89,000 members successfully secure accreditation last year – is designed to illustrate how everyday society activities such as marketing, driving membership, managing accounts, hosting events and raising funds are demonstrations of entrepreneurship.

Applications are free at rbsessa.com.