Re-writing the innovation rulebook Have you ever heard of the Oslo Manual? Sadly it’s not a type of Nordic Kama Sutra but instead the official – OECD backed – rulebook for thinking about and measuring innovation. Over the last 25 years successive editions of the Oslo Manual have provided the definitive guide to what gets… Read more
Whether you regard today as a ‘new dawn’ or a ‘national tragedy’ short-term economic uncertainty is on the cards for us all. This is perhaps today’s only certainty. How effectively the UK can manage this uncertainty and then capitalise on the opportunities of life outside the EU will be crucial for future growth. In the… Read more
Contributing 47 per cent of revenue to the UK economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a key role in boosting productivity – but need support to expand business and increase impact. A report published jointly by the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC), Goldman Sachs and the British Business Bank shows that SMEs are a key… Read more
Good design is a delight. But the potential role of designers goes well beyond improving the functional or aesthetic aspects of a product. Research on design thinking has suggested there should be a design leadership effect when designers lead rather than contributing to firms’ innovation processes. But how big is this effect? Until now we… Read more
Mark Hart , Deputy Director , ERC delivered the keynote speech “The role of universities in unlocking UK productivity” at the 5th Engage HEI Conference held at the University of Central Lancashire, on May 19th 2016. Despite improving economic performance, the UK still has fundamental economic weaknesses that can be improved by effective business support. • Economic… Read more
A new report commissioned by HEFCE from the Enterprise Research Centre and building on earlier work by ERC and HEFCE examining university-business interactions has been published. This report investigates the population of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the areas covered by the 39 local enterprise partnerships in England, and estimates the effect on innovation where SMEs… Read more
Recent research by economists at the OECD presents a new perspective on what drives national productivity growth. This presents a challenge to the emphasis of current UK policy on world-leading innovation. The OECD start by recognising that in every world economy there are some ‘frontier firms’ which are internationally competitive and match global high standards… Read more
ERC Projects 2016 – 2018 stakeholder meetings. The ERC held initial stakeholder meetings on 16th May to discuss the ERC research projects for 2016. The event attended by over 30 of our advisory panel members was held at WBS facilities at the Shard. For more information on the projects that were discussed and to download the… Read more
New report reveals immigrants eye for business Immigrants are more likely to start their own business than people born and brought up in the UK, according to new figures. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) UK Report, published [12th May], analysed early-stage start-up activity as part of an in-depth study into entrepreneurial trends, attitudes and aspirations… Read more
The GEM UK 2015 Monitoring report is published today. The report compiled by Professor Mark Hart, Professor Jonathan Levie and Dr Karen Bonner – compares Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) measures of entrepreneurial attitudes, activity and aspiration in the UK with Germany and the United States (US). It also summarizes entrepreneurial attitudes, activity and aspiration across… Read more
