When it comes to innovation ecosystems, is bigger better?

Innovation Centres (ICs) are an under-reported and under-defined institution within the innovation ecosystem. Research by the Enterprise Research Centre and Cork University Business School for the Institute of Physics (IOP) aimed to understand the role played by physics-related ICs in supporting physics-based innovation across the UK and Ireland. The IOP’s reach across both countries provides… Read more

Local social capital, necessity entrepreneurship and levelling up

‘You can’t do business without them’, says an owner of a food shop serving a local migrant community, talking about his social ties with customers who he consults for advice. ‘The competition is tough… It depends if customers trust in you. We have maintained trust in what we do and that’s why customers keep coming’… Read more

Science + Social Science + Investment = Levelling up

Levelling-up seems destined to remain central to the priorities of the Rishi Sunak government. Last week, addressing the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) conference, ex-Conservative politician Justine Greening, and Charlie Jeffrey (University of York) talked passionately about the convening power of universities in leading strong and impactful local projects. Both also emphasised the… Read more

Supporting line managers during challenging times

Supporting line managers during challenging times Employers are waking up to growing workplace mental health issues since the pandemic, with greater commitment to initiatives and practices to address them. But will they be able to continue that commitment as the cost of doing business spirals? And how can they best support the line managers who… Read more

Understanding Stress and Wellbeing at Work: A Leadership Journey

This blog, by Dr Juliet Hassard, Associate Professor of Occupational Health Psychology at the University of Nottingham, links to our ongoing work programme on the theme of workplace mental health and productivity. You can find out more about our major research project on this theme, which is funded by the ESRC here   Many people… Read more

The cost of doing business 2022q2 Data from the Small Business Price Index

Small businesses with less than 50 employees employ 12.9m people (48 per cent of total private sector employment) and account for 36 per cent of private sector turnover. The Small Business Price Index (SBPI) provides an indication of the cost of doing business among this critical group of firms. The SBPI suggests that small business… Read more

What works for supporting firms to go digital?

It has often been suggested that smaller firms – especially more risk averse family-owned firms – may be reluctant to invest in new technologies or innovation. The Evolve Digital scheme, a business support programme for family run businesses, was developed through 2019 to address this issue. Evolve Digital was implemented as a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT)… Read more

Do resilient entrepreneurs lead more resilient businesses?

In the context of recent events like the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, the ability of a business to survive a crisis is of heightened interest to many, including business leaders, support agencies and policymakers.  Previous research examining the resilience of firms – their ability to survive adversity and potentially to emerge stronger – has considered… Read more

Enabling the Triple Transition in UK SMEs

Firms’ increasing use of digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely highlighted. At the same time, evidence of the growing climate crisis also points to the need for firms to move towards more sustainable, low carbon ways of operating. The implications of these digital and net zero transitions for firms’ productivity upgrading are… Read more

Pushing productivity to the top of a firm’s agenda

Recently I visited a company that had performed rather well during the lockdown. One of the lucky ones, its sales grew because they were focused on a domestic market concerned with people’s homes. In the lockdown, this market performed well as fewer people have been commuting to work and have been spending a larger proportion… Read more