Press Coverage : Covid19: Critique and Proposals to Develop More Comprehensive and Inclusive Support for the SelfEmployed. Research Report. April 2020

Birmingham Live: Coronavirus crisis could mean 100,000 jobs lost around Birmingham, expert warns Radio Interview on You-Tube Telegraph : Blackhole of financial support threatens to ‘decimate’ generation of entrepreneurs Mirror : Seven million workers to be paid by state as firms join coronavirus furlough scheme                

750,000 self-employed miss out on UK coronavirus support – study

  Lack of provision for most vulnerable self-employed in measures announced by the UK Chancellor last week threatens to “decimate a whole generation of early-stage entrepreneurs”, report authors say. More than 750,000 self-employed people in the UK could miss out on Government support during the coronavirus pandemic, a new analysis has shown. The findings from… Read more

Covid-19 and the implications for future innovation

Over the last few days we have seen some inspiring and innovative responses to the Corona Virus crisis by UK firms and universities. The JCB-Dyson collaboration to produce ventilators and the UCL-Mercedes AMG collaboration to develop other breathing aids are outstanding examples. Necessity is the mother of invention after all. But what of the wider… Read more

The duration of the economic restrictions is decisive for the German Mittelstand

As in the UK, significant parts of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany are affected by the corona virus pandemic. In this difficult economic situation, the Federal Government in Germany has sent a very positive signal with its comprehensive support measures targeted not only at large corporations, but also at medium-sized, small and micro… Read more

Sunak’s self-employed support is welcome – but here’s five ways to improve it

After a wait that felt like an eternity, self-employed people finally got some clarity yesterday (March 26th) on how the Government intends to support them during the coronavirus pandemic. Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) was more generous than many expected. The headline is that self-employed people will be able to claim… Read more

ASTON MEANS BUSINESSS – SMEs dealing with COVID

With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to shut down the economy, we’re working with Aston Centre for Growth to turn the podcast’s attention towards how SMEs are dealing with the crisis. This special series is called ‘Aston means business: SMEs dealing with COVID-19’. In each episode, we’ll be talking to current and previous business participants in… Read more

Avoiding Economic Meltdown In a National Emergency?

It took less than a week following the Chancellor’s Budget the package to feel woefully insubstantial given COVID-19 developments and the impact on the economy, businesses and jobs. As expected, he was on his feet again this week with a much bigger suite of measures aimed at supporting businesses with costs and cashflow. “Whatever it… Read more

Business resilience and the budget

The 2020s are already shaping up to be a decade we won’t forget and we’re barely three months in. Coming on the back of a decade when researchers and policy makers have been focused on the post-financial crisis productivity puzzle, the impact on the global economy from the Covid-19 pandemic brings new challenges and uncertainties…. Read more

‘What Next for Women’s Enterprise Policy?

On the 12th March the ERC joined forces with the ISBE Gender and Enterprise Network and welcomed over 60 delegates to The Shard for an event focusing on ‘What Next for Women’s Enterprise Policy? Although there has been a rise in women’s self-employment in recent years, women are still much less likely to found or… Read more