Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the ERC is the UK’s leading centre of excellence for research into the growth, innovation and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our research helps shape better policies and practices that enable SMEs to thrive.
The end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end for UK trade?
2020 was a terrible year for UK trade. Overall, UK exports in goods contracted by almost 15%, down by £54.5 bln[i] in the twelve-month period, this is even worse than the contraction seen in the UK economy as a whole, which was just under 10% in GDP terms. [ii] Furthermore, the early 2021 bilateral trade… Read more
Innovation Readiness in UK Foundation Industries report
In a report published today research conducted by UK Research and Innovation found that only 56% of UK businesses across six foundation industry sectors introduced new products and 53% new processes in the last three years, namely metals, paper, chemicals, glass, ceramics and cement companies. UKRI commissioned the Enterprise Research Centre to undertake the research as… Read more
Innovating places
Climbing a mountain, travelling North or spending time near the sea we all become aware of differences in the climate. In some places configurations of landscape create specific micro-climates, which create conditions of warmth or shelter allowing plants and gardens to flourish. Recent research suggests that business innovation may work in a similar way, with… Read more
How do we fire up the start ups
ERC Deputy Director Mark Hart joined an expert panel at the The Centre for the New Midlands webinar ” How do we fire up the start-ups” discussing how to make the West Midlands the most attractive place to start a new business in the UK. Amongst the questions discussed were Is the West Midlands the place… Read more
COVID hammers UK firms – but sparks digital ‘pivot’ for some
Over 40% of UK’s small and medium-sized firms report COVID-related hit to turnover, while 3 in 10 forced to cut jobs Around 200,000 firms could be close to collapse based on analysis of those trading insolvently or running out of cash But a fifth of firms report positive impacts from the pandemic, with many embracing… Read more
GEM NI Report 2019
Published today this report, completed by Queen’s University Belfast in conjunction with the Enterprise Research Centre, provides international benchmark data for entrepreneurial activity in Northern Ireland, on a comparable basis. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is an international project which seeks to provide information on the entrepreneurial landscape of 50 countries in 2019. This is important… Read more
Subscribe to the monthly Newsletter
"*" indicates required fields
Interesting links
Here are some interesting links for you! Enjoy your stay :)Pages
Categories
Archive