An eye for opportunity and an appetite for risk puts serial entrepreneurs at an advantage in new markets, what can their approach teach first-time founders? Mark Hart , Deputy Director , ERC contributed to an article published by the Guardian Online. “Serial entrepreneurs’ networks help them to sustain businesses across countries and sectors. They would… Read more

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

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

Growing productivity: a Scottish recipe We have heard a lot recently – at least before Brexit became flavour of the news – about the need to boost productivity. And, in particular how the government can help firms to grow productivity. It turns out that the answer, or at least part of the answer, may have… Read more

Our blog provides a space for comment by the ERC Directors on current issues related to entrepreneurship, small business development and innovation. Blog posts are contributed by the ERC Directors Professor Stephen Roper (Stephen.roper@wbs.ac.uk) and Professor Mark Hart (Mark.Hart@aston.ac.uk). Please noted that the  views expressed in this blog belong to the individual blogger and do not… Read more

2016 sees the start of ERC’s new series of research projects with a focus on the drivers of SME growth and productivity. Key topics include the role of innovation and commercialisation in promoting productivity, the impact of barriers to finance on internationalisation, the role of management and leadership in promoting growth and a focus on… Read more

Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships Fixed-term, full-time contract until 31 January 2018.  Applications are invited for Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships based in the Enterprise Research Centre at Warwick Business School and Aston Business School The Enterprise Research Centre is a collaborative research centre led by Warwick and Aston Business Schools with Imperial, Strathclyde, Birmingham and Queen’s University School of… Read more

ERC Deputy  Director Mark Hart presented the latest GEM findings at an internal workshop for Invest NI business development staff and summarised some key elements of other recent ERC research.  The Growth Dashboard and Innovation Benchmark report were highlighted as was the work on the importance of Leadership and Management Skills for SME development and… Read more

The 18th Annual Ethnic Minority Business Conference, the UK’s benchmark event on diversity and entrepreneurship was held on October 28th in Birmingham, UK.

UK Growth Dashboard reveals surprise landscape of SME growth in aftermath of the Great Recession The UK Growth Dashboard 2015, a new study by the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) in partnership with Business Growth Service looks at a range of indicators to  shed new light on the health of small businesses and entrepreneurship across the whole of the… Read more