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.
Exploring Enterprise – Micro-Businesses: The Untold Story
Today we relaunch the ERC’s podcast series Exploring enterprise in collaboration with Business111.com . In this episode Professor Mark Hart of the Enterprise Research Centre speaks with Liz Barclay to explain why micro-businesses are far more important to the UK economy than policymakers recognise. Drawing on decades of research, he reveals how these smallest firms… Read more
LSBS Small Grant Awards Announced
The Enterprise Research Centre (ERC), in collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), has announced the successful recipients of the LSBS Small Grant Funding call. Funded by DBT (£25,000 in total), five projects have been selected following a competitive process to undertake secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Small Business Survey (LSBS). The successful projects… Read more
GEM 2025/2026 Global Report
New GEM 2025/2026 Global Report Finds Record Startup Activity — But Warns of Growing AI and Survival Gaps The newly released GEM 2025/2026 Global Report, launched at Tecnológico de Monterrey in collaboration with GEM Mexico and the Instituto de Emprendimiento Eugenio Garza Lagüera, finds that entrepreneurial activity remains strong across the globe — but structural weaknesses threaten long-term sustainability. Drawing… Read more
The State of Small Business Britain 2025 Navigating uncertainty
Last week we published the latest State of Small Business Britain report. 2025 was another challenging year for the UK’s small businesses and those working to support them. On one hand, there was much to be positive about. The evidence continues to show that the UK has a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, and that digital technology adoption… Read more
State of Small Business Britain Conference 2025 Presentation Videos
Presentation videos from the State of Small Business Britain conference 2025 are now available on the ERC YouTube channel.
GEM UK Policy Impact Report – Unlocking the Power of Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs in the UK.
Ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) are a significant yet under-recognised part of the UK economy. This impact report focuses on EMBs not as a niche issue, but as a way of understanding how entrepreneurial potential is created, constrained, or enabled within the UK’s wider business environment. The Time to Change: A Blueprint for Advancing the UK’s Ethnic… Read more
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