How can we fill the post-Brexit information gap for SMEs?

ERC’s research on High Growth Firms cited in Enterprise blog by James Tout of sector specialist Communications and Media company, Journalista. “Several recent studies, including groundbreaking research by our client the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC), have shown big regional disparities in the numbers of high-growth firms, sometimes called ‘gazelle firms’, which create a disproportionately high number… Read more

LSBS small grants

Ten applications were received in response to this call. An evaluation committee of Stephen Roper, ERC/ WBS , Ian Drummond, BIS  and James Phipps, BIS considered the proposals using the agreed protocol (60 per cent for programme quality, 20 per cent for project team and cost) and agreed that five proposals should be funded as… Read more

ERC Reports for UKCES

ERC has been working with the UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES) to assess the impact of human resources and human resource practices on SME growth and innovation. In ‘Innovation and HR practices in five professional service sectors’ we examine the impact of HR practices on firms’ innovation activity and productivity growth based on new… Read more

Re-writing the innovation rulebook

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

Brexit for business?

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

Boosting UK productivity with SME growth

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

Innovation by design.

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

Engage HEI 2016

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

University-SME engagement: the geography of connectivity across England and the effects on innovation

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

The future of productivity: Is innovation diffusion the answer?

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