Resources Archive

This annual review from the Enterprise Research Centre offers a clear picture of the UK’s small business landscape in a year marked by cost pressures, economic uncertainty, and fragmented support. Entrepreneurial

Community-led housing and regeneration are reshaping rural town centres—revitalising high streets, repurposing vacant buildings, and creating lasting local assets. This resource showcases case studies from Northumberland, where development trusts in places

Climathons are helping rural communities co-design local responses to climate challenges—through collaboration, creativity, and practical action. Adapted from the original Climate-KIC methodology, this approach has been tailored for rural areas by

Community-led energy projects are helping rural areas take control of their sustainability and resilience—generating local benefits while contributing to national net zero goals. As rural regions face rising grid reinforcement costs,

Innovation support often overlooks the realities of rural business, yet local adaptations are helping to bridge the gap. This resource explores how rural businesses—despite being highly innovative—face structural disadvantages compared to

Innovation in rural areas often emerges through adaptation—modifying existing practices, tools, and systems to address evolving challenges in practical and locally meaningful ways. This resource explores how innovation functions not only

The Community Spaces Partnership (CSP) brings together three organisations—Community Action Northumberland (CAN), Action with Communities in Cumbria (ACT), and Durham Community Action (DCA)—to invest in rural community spaces with the support

Agri-food innovation is playing a vital role in the transition to net zero, with rural areas at the centre of experimentation and change. This resource brings together case studies and research

Community engagement is driving new forms of collaboration, policy development, and local innovation in rural areas. This resource draws on insights from ‘Community Visioning’ events held in Hexham and Wooler, where

Rural workplaces are changing—shaped by new expectations around flexibility, fairness, communication, and well-being. A series of workshops led by the Rural Design Centre Innovation Project, in partnership with NICRE and Stick

Rural Enterprise Hubs (REHs) are creating new spaces for business collaboration, innovation, and peer learning in rural areas. By bringing businesses together under one roof, these hubs support knowledge exchange, face-to-face

Small and medium-sized businesses often face significant barriers when it comes to planning for future risks—primarily due to limited time and capacity. Research by the Enterprise Research Centre shows that many