View video here Firm-level data hints at “canary in the mine” for UK’s employment ‘miracle’ • Enterprise Research Centre study finds established firms are already shedding jobs, despite employment being buoyed by start-ups • ‘Churn’ in private sector saw 4.9m jobs created and destroyed last year • Strong employment figures may be “lulling policymakers into… Read more

The State of Small Business Britain report 2019  has been launched at the 6th Annual State of Small Business Britain conference held by the ERC. The increasing levels of political uncertainty in the UK sets the context for this review of trends in the small business community in mid-2019. We seek to provide an overview… Read more

Innovation is good isn’t it? We all love exciting new products or services which are useful and add value to our lives. For firms too innovation can be good for attracting new customers and increasing profits. But what happens when innovation goes wrong? We have all experienced this. Think about the last time you tried… Read more

ERC currently have an opportunity for a Post-doctoral Research Fellow: Innovation and Productivity to work within the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC). The person appointed will work with Professor Stephen Roper on projects related to business innovation, diffusion and productivity.This position focuses on SMEs, innovation, productivity and business eco-systems.The post requires strong econometric skills, an interest in… Read more

ERC are delighted to announce that the ESRC, along with funding partners BEIS, Innovate UK, the British Business Bank and the Intellectual Property Office will be funding an exciting programme of research and engagement at the Centre for the next three years. We will continue to cement the reputation of the ERC as the ‘go… Read more

Innovation is always risky. New technologies may not perform, or may take longer to develop than first anticipated. Customers may react negatively to new products or services and innovation may provoke a strong competitive response from competitors. Will uncertainty linked to the post-Brexit settlement increase or depress firms’ appetite for taking these innovation risks? It… 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

This year’s State of Small Business Britain Conference took place on 3rd October at The Shard in London, facilitated by ERC Steering Group Chair Jane Galsworthy. This was the ninth ERC annual conference, an event which brings together a mixed, well-informed community of academics, policymakers, practitioners and business leaders interested in small business policy for… Read more