The research discussed in this paper explores the impact of a higher education initiative targeted at developing entrepreneurial capability and encouraging student technology venturing activity in Northern Ireland. The initiative in question is the 25,000 British Pounds enterprise competition run by the Northern Ireland Centre for Entrepreneurship (NICENT). The authors report the outcomes of exploratory survey-based research to establish the competition's impact on participants and its contribution to the development of positive attitudes towards technology transfer and enterprise by aspiring, would-be new venturers. (Contains 1 table.)