Research Centres We Work With

As part of our work we collaborate with the following research centres:

The Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship is based at Strathclyde Business School and undertakes research and encouragement of entrepreneurship within Scotland. ERC staff Professor Sara Carter OBE, Professor Jonathan Levie and Dr Samuel Mwaura work at the Centre.

The Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) is based at the University of Birmingham Business School, CREME delivers leading-edge expertise on business support for ethnic minority entrepreneurs. The Centre is headed by Professor Monder Ram OBE. In association with Professor Kiran Trehan he also leads the Enterprise and Diversity Alliance (EDA) which is an innovative network dedicated to the promotion of minority entrepreneurship. Backed by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA), leading policy-makers and professional bodies, its ambition is to ‘make diversity and enterprise everyone’s business’. The ERC works closely with both these centres in their research focussing on ‘Diversity and Growth’.

The Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) is based at Manchester University and is a centre of excellence in the field of innovation studies, which includes the overlap of innovation with science management and science policy. ERC have collaborated with MioIR on research focussing on small firm-large firm interactions for innovation as well as outreach events related to open innovation and inter-firm linkages.

The Small Business Research Centre (SBRC) is based at Kingston University and is one of the leading research groups in the UK in the field of small business and entrepreneurship. We have partnered with ERC on two projects – regulation and export development in SMEs.

Small Enterprise Research Unit (SERU) Based at Newcastle University their research is focussed on key areas of entrepreneurship, SMEs, innovation and the scientific labour market. SERU is the centre of a ‘virtual network’, since many of its activities are undertaken in close partnership with policy makers, industrialists, academics and business support agencies at local, regional, national and international levels. We have partnered two events over the last year and will they will host of the ERC Communities of Interest.

What Works Centre for Local Economic Development (WWG) has been set up to analyse which policies are most effective in supporting and increasing local economic growth. Careful research and evaluation have a crucial role to play in exploring the evidence base, and increasing the effectiveness of policymaking. The Centre is Directed by Professor Henry Overman who is on own Advisory Group. Professor Stephen Roper represents ERC on the What Works Advisory Panel.