How could a new trade agreement revitalize SMEs in the agri-food sector?

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agri-food sector, Brexit has ushered in a new era of challenges. Previously accustomed to the frictionless trade afforded by EU membership, these businesses now face significant trade barriers, including stricter checks and complicated documentation requirements. SMEs are particularly affected, as they often lack the resources to navigate… Read more

Equity finance access and use in early-stage UK ventures

I recently worked on some new groundbreaking research with the ERC examining access to and use of equity finance amongst UK early-stage ventures. This involved the first national survey to explore the process of how potential high growth startup ventures access their first formally reported round of equity finance. The research is important because the… Read more

GEM UK report 2023_2024 launched

The latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) UK report, in partnership with NatWest has been launched today an event at the Aston University Enterprise Hub. The report this year highlights significant progress and enduring challenges in the UK’s entrepreneurial landscape over the past 25 years. Reflecting on a quarter-century of entrepreneurial activity, the report contextualises the… Read more

Let’s talk about another M in the business population – Micros

We know that the vast majority of private sector businesses do not grow, and policymakers are always seeking ways to encourage more firms to take the first steps along the growth path, and to sustain it.  As such the emphasis has been on fast-growth, high-growth and scaling as the watch-words of business support policy.Too often… Read more

Workplace Wellbeing, Mental Health and Productivity event

On 20th May we held a joint event with the PrOPEL Hub on Workplace Wellbeing, Mental Health and Productivity to share some insights from some of the latest research funded by the ESRC. The first presentation of the day was by ERC Research Fellow Maria Wishart. Maria gave an overview of the emerging findings from… Read more

What can we learn from Swedish approaches to workplace mental health?

In a recent speech, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that work is good for those with anxiety and milder depression and has signalled that benefits may be removed from some mental health sufferers as part of a reform of the benefits system. But his assertion has provoked an outcry from mental health charities including Mind,… Read more

Evidence Day _ Scale Up week

ERC Deputy Director Mark Hart is an invited speaker at a Virtual Evidence Day session on Monday 17th June during Scale Up Week on: “Scaleup & growth programs: what works and doesn’t work, and under what conditions?” ScaleUp Week will showcase the latest scaling practices and celebrate the potential of scaleups across Canada. Discover the… Read more

Building relationships between Britain and Greece: Science Parks and Agri-Tech

ERC Research Fellow Panagiotis Kyriakopoulos  is organising an event in Athens which aims to facilitate the establishment of new partnerships and foster meaningful interactions among managers and owners of science parks in both Greece and the UK. It will be a hybrid event with the objective of strengthening connections between stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem… Read more