IKD: Innovation, Knowledge and Development
Projects
Profiling the UK environmental and clean technology sector: entrepreneurship, investment and innovation
Investigators
Dr Stuart Parris, Research Associate, The Open University
Dr Pelin Demirel, Nottingham University Business School
Funding
British Academy Small Research grant
Summary and aims
This project aims to investigate the role of different types of finance for supporting the innovative activity of small and medium sized enterprises (SME) operating in the environmental sector. The environmental sector is expected to be critical for the future economic development of the UK supporting a new low carbon economy. Entrepreneurial and innovative firms often require significant funding to support their innovative activities in the initial stages; however, little research has examined the relationship between finance and innovation in this sector.
The project will profile activity in the UK, firstly to understand the relationships between finance and innovation in SME firms. Secondly it will provide an important step towards clarifying the underlying innovative activities of a sector that has attracted significant investor interest. Specifically we seek to understand the relationship between the sources of finance and the implications this has on firms’ innovation strategies. In doing so, we will provide important insights into the most appropriate forms of finance for supporting new innovation in this sector.
The work is comprised of two parts. Firstly, we will co-ordinate a survey of SME firms with interests in the clean technology and the environmental sector to investigate the profile of this group of firms. Secondly we will combine our survey data with other secondary data sources to provide a rich analysis of innovative and financial activity in this sector. Preliminary survey results are expected to be available in early 2011.
Please refer to this site for future updates. Companies that participate in the project will be provided a summary report of the main survey findings, expected in early 2011. Participants will also be available to download future discussion papers related to this project.
Reports
Summary report: UK enterprise, innovation and environment survey (PDF document, 451 KB)
Project contact
Dr Stuart Parris, stuart.parris@canterbury.ac.uk