News and multimedia from CBR

Legal protection for British workers under the Employment Rights Act 2025 will move closer to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average, according to a new UK government report that uses the Labour Regulation Index of the Cambridge Centre for Business Research (CBR) at Cambridge Judge Business School.

The UK House of Lords Science and Technology Committee cited testimony and written evidence by David Connell, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School, in a new report on the failure of UK technology companies to scale up to become global players. The report is entitled Bleeding to death: the science and technology growth emergency.

Data that seriously distort Britain’s post-war economic history arose because the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS) made errors that should have been easily spotted and adopted a highly defective methodology, says a new working paper written by Bill Martin, Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research (CBR) at Cambridge Judge Business School.

The Centre for Business Research (CBR) at the University of Cambridge has published a policy brief by Dr Mona Jebril, Research Associate at CBR, on innovative strategies to strengthen health resilience amidst war and humanitarian crises in Gaza and similar conflict-affected areas.

The co-author of a Centre for Business Research report, David Connell, tells a House of Lords panel that different policies are needed to keep promising startup firms in the UK.

Across the world, companies are competing for tech talent while millions of refugees remain sidelined from formal work. This disconnect is not due to a lack of skills or motivation, but a lack of access. New research from Na’amal and Jobtech Alliance explores how digital employment pipelines can offer refugees sustainable livelihood opportunities – and what systems must be in place for them to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

The UK government’s changes to the Employment Rights bill cites research on employment laws at the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School.

The Impact Prize for Gates Cambridge Scholars at the University of Cambridge honours alumni and postgrad students leaving an impact across the world. Three of 8 winners this year have ties to Cambridge Judge Business School.

Today (18 December) the Centre for Business Research (CBR) publishes a research report which assesses the role that legal and institutional reform can play in supporting a sustainable venture capital (VC) sector in Ukraine. The report is intended to inform Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.

A multi-university research project that includes the Centre for Business Research has been awarded £8.3 million to study the economic and social impact of AI and other technology on people’s working lives.

4 years on from its publication in 2020, the Statement on Corporate Governance for Sustainability, coauthored by the Centre for Business Research (CBR) Research Associate and Warwick University law professor Andrew Johnston, has recently entered the SSRN all-time top 10 lists for Climate Change Law and Policy, and Sustainability Law and Policy. The Statement has had a major impact on the debate over the future of corporate governance.

Congratulations to Bernhard Reinsberg, who we are delighted to announce has been promoted to Professor of International Political Economy and Development at the University of Glasgow with effect from 1 August 2024.

Britain lags the OECD average in areas ranging from working time to dismissal, says a report by the Trades Union Congress based on research at the Centre for Business Research.

Selling less of the family silver: changes to UK policy could reduce the early sale of promising companies to overseas firms and increase economic growth, says new report.

A competition and conference designed to promote post-war venture capital investment in Ukraine startups is organised by the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Professor Simon Deakin, Director of the Centre for Business Research (CBR), awarded the 2023 Cambridge SU (students' union) prize for Postgraduate Research Supervision.

The ongoing refugee and asylum seeker crisis in Europe and the UK is an opportunity to strengthen public health, the economy, labour markets and social cohesion. In the media and political hubbub surrounding the crisis, the personal stories, mental health and wellbeing of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are absent. How can we design front-line mental health services for refugees, asylum seekers and local populations at risk in the UK?

Congratulations to Graham Gudgin, Honorary Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research (CBR) at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School, for receiving a Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours list.

We are delighted to announce that Dr Giorgio Caselli has been promoted to Senior Research Fellow with effect from 1 January 2023. Congratulations Giorgio!

The UK needs an ‘Independent Office for Innovation and Industrial Policy’ similar to the Office for Budget Responsibility, says submission by Cambridge Judge Business School expert at the request of the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology.

In this special insight article, we look at some of the work done at Cambridge Judge to highlight issues affecting the marginalised and point a way forward to solving them, and we also talk to some of those involved in these important initiatives.

A new, prestigious international award for a Centre for Business Research (CBR) researcher.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reasserted its role as the world’s leading financial firefighter.

Interactions between UK businesses and universities are broad based and beneficial, but are being held back by firms' lack of capacity and information to tap this key resource, says a new report co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Renationalisation is not the solution to the current supply and pricing issues in the energy market, Professor Michael Pollitt of Cambridge Judge says in a new podcast.

R&D study by David Connell of the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School is cited by UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in a high-profile lecture.

Lebanon’s health services should be given far greater priority in economic recovery policies by donor governments, says new report co-authored at the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Improve information flows and build cooperation between stakeholders in the health sector in Gaza to address continuing humanitarian needs, says report from the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge.

The UK's £7.3 billion flagship research and development tax credit scheme is failing to stimulate the additional spending required to meet the Government's R&D target, concludes a new report from the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Re-learning how to manage risk can be a template for the future governance of crises, say academics from the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Despite G20 pledge to do "whatever it takes", the IMF has offered only 'trivial' new funding toward a $2.5 trillion pandemic financing gap in developing countries, says new article co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School.

People with coronavirus symptoms more likely to have general psychiatric disorders and loneliness, says study co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Calls for companies to reduce working hours instead of cutting jobs help mental health and to boost the economy after the pandemic.

A new study co-authored Dr Kai Ruggeri and Dr Tomas Folke, from the Centre for Business Research, replicates influential Prospect Theory that describes how people make choices when faced with risky decisions.

ASSET is a new short scale that evaluates financial literacy in teenagers and young adults, developed by researchers at Cambridge Judge Business School.

A research project on legal systems and artificial antelligence (AI), based on collaboration between Hitotsubashi University, Japan, and the University of Cambridge, UK, has been selected for funding following a joint call by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST).

Privatisation of state-owned enterprises in IMF loan conditions can increase corruption through a 'vicious circle' of weaker institutions and increased incentives, says a new study co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Structural conditions imposed on developing countries by the International Monetary Fund undermine their 'state capacity' for economic development, finds study led at Cambridge Judge Business School.

Foreign-born academics in Britain are actively engaged in both the UK and internationally, contributing greatly to UK society, says a new study of 14,000 academics co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School. British Prime Minister Theresa May famously said that some international elites are a "citizen of nowhere", but a new academic study concludes that foreign-born academics working in Britain are highly engaged in both UK and international activities such as joint research, networking providing informal advice. The study of more than 14,000 UK academics finds that while foreign-born academics are relatively more engaged internationally than their UK-born counterparts, the absolute participation of foreign-born UK academics is greater in UK-based ("intranational") activities. The study just published in the journal Research Policy also finds that any differences in local engagement by UK-born and foreign-born academics "tend to fade out" as the foreign-born academics spend more time in the UK, while the foreign-born still keep their international engagement "premium". "This suggests with sufficient experience in the domestic context, foreign-born academics will demonstrate the same degree of 'citizenship' in terms of local engagement as their native-born colleagues," the study concludes. "Foreign-born academics often exhibit both high levels of intranational and international engagement, contrary to…

Findings dispute "guns versus butter" narrative as a major factor behind the Arab Spring. Researchers caution against uncritically applying lessons from Western nations to interpret public policy decisions in the Middle East. Research casts doubt on the widely-held view that spiralling military expenditure across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) “crowded out” investment in healthcare and public services, leading to civil unrest that eventually exploded in the Arab Spring revolutions. The so-called “guns versus butter” or “welfare versus warfare” hypotheses – that prioritised military spending resulted in neglect of health and education, thereby creating conditions that fomented public rebellion – is considered by many experts to be a root cause of the uprisings that gripped the region during 2011. However, a team of researchers who analysed economic and security data from MENA nations in the 16 years leading up to the Arab Spring found no evidence of a trade-off between spending on the military and public services, specifically healthcare. The researchers from Cambridge and the Lebanese American University argue that much of the evidence for the ‘guns versus butter’ causal link come from analyses of wealthy European nations, which has then been assumed to hold true for the Middle…

Researchers have built the single largest dataset of employment laws – spanning more than 100 countries across much of post-war history – to look at how worker rights affect economies over decades. There's a familiar story that goes something like this: the post-war consensus was one of heavy regulation, dominant trade unions and the same job for life; then, in the 1980s, free market forces were unleashed, and regulation came to be viewed as a 'market distortion' that stifled productivity. By the start of the 1990s, deregulation was a cornerstone of the emergent 'Washington Consensus', and worker protection and unions were in steep decline. Legal reforms to 'free up' the labour market were declared a route to prosperity by international bodies such as the OECD and World Bank. Now, a decade on from a global economic crash, and the mood music may again be changing. Issues of inequality and migrant labour are destabilising politics, while all-conquering technology companies are driving new and more flexible – as well as precarious – ways of working. Last year, for the first time in a generation, both major UK parties went into an election with manifestos that argued free market forces alone were not…

New research from the Centre for Business Research (CBR) at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School questions the accuracy of measurements of the impact of Brexit on the UK economy undertaken by the Treasury and by other official and academic bodies, during and after the Referendum. The new paper, "How the economics profession got it wrong on Brexit", predicts that the decision to take the UK out of the European Union will only have a small negative impact on economic growth over the coming years, and is likely to have a minor impact on living standards. These conclusions contrast with the large negative impacts predicted by others and particularly by the Treasury. The paper is written by Ken Coutts and Graham Gudgin, who are both Honorary Research Associates at the CBR, and Jordan Buchanan of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre. Graham Gudgin is also Chief Economic Advisor at Policy Exchange, London, visiting Professor at the University of Ulster and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre. Ken Coutts is also Emeritus Assistant Director of Research in the Faculty of Economics, and Life Fellow in Economics, Selwyn College, at the University of Cambridge. The…

Author of industrial strategy review of the UK Small Business Research Initiative calls for increased focus on customer-funded innovation contracts to allow founders to grow substantial UK firms.

Lorraine Charles, Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research, publishes new report on the economic opportunities and challenges for Palestinians and Lebanese in the shadow of the Syrian crisis. Sharq.org, an NGO in Lebanon that develops collections of oral histories that reflect diverse topics and communities of the Arab world, has released a report Lebanon Livelihoods: Economic Opportunities and Challenges for Palestinians and Lebanese in the Shadow of the Syrian Crisis written by Lorraine Charles, Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research. The report reflects on the vulnerability of Palestinians and members of the Lebanese host community who been adversely affected by the Syrian conflict, as well as the consequences of a pre-existing weak social welfare system, poor legislation, corruption and migration pressures. It identifies factors that have impacted the livelihoods of both Lebanese nationals and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.…

The University of Cambridge seeks to appoint a full-time research fellow at the Centre for Business Research to work on an exciting new project studying the activities of companies in the local region and their impact on regional growth. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment, and collaborate with scholars in the fields of economics, architecture, town planning, geography and land economy. You will be a quantitative social scientist with a keen interest to investigate the determinants and consequences of corporate growth and regional development, utilising and augmenting a unique new company database already compiled by the research team. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting research under the guidance of the project leader, liaising with project partners in academia, business and local government, managing the project's website and social media accounts, and assisting in the organisation of workshops or conferences. The position requires attention to detail, and an ability to work within a team. You must have a first degree for appointment as a Junior Research Fellow, or a PhD for appointment as a Research Fellow, and have evidence of original research work in an area related to this project. In addition, you must…

David Connell of the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge to lead review on UK government Small Business Research Initiative. The UK government appointed David Connell, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School, to lead a review of the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). The review, due to report next spring, will look at challenges faced by small businesses and issue recommendations on how to improve the programme. The Initiative, managed by Innovate UK, invites small businesses to apply for research and development contracts to develop new technologies – providing firms with £50,000 to £100,000 to test an idea, and up to £1 million to develop prototypes. Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: Small businesses across the UK are pioneering new technologies that have the potential to improve the lives of millions both here in the UK and across the globe. The review of our Small Business Research Initiative will ensure we are harnessing the best of this talent and providing additional support where we can to get more ideas to market. David Connell has been involved with the Small Business Research Initiative since he advised the government on its introduction.…

New research findings from two of the UK's top universities, Cambridge and Manchester, reveals giving workers employment rights increases productivity and profitability. The Centre for Business Research (CBR) at the University of Cambridge has turned conventional wisdom on its head, and through a series of quantitative research projects over a number of recent years, has constructed a new database that reveals how improvements in labour rights can lead to increased productivity and employment as well as greater equality in society. These datasets are now online for others to access and use. These statistical studies carried out by the CBR complement qualitative research carried out by the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester and both were funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council). The research teams looked at labour law reforms, labour standards and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Rising Powers, including China, India, South Africa and Brazil and their research is now being made public for the first time. They are asking international organisations to take note of these findings and they say national governments would do well to consider them. Globalisation, rather than inducing a so called 'race to the bottom' as many commentators…

Venture capital investment does not boost patents by technology firms, finds new study at University of Cambridge Judge Business School. 'Patenting has much sharper effects on VC investments than the other way around'. Venture capital firms are successful by picking innovative firms, not by boosting their patenting output. The number of patents obtained by technology firms is an often-used benchmark of supposed innovation, and some previous studies have found a positive link between venture capital (VC) investment and patent output. But a new study at University of Cambridge Judge Business School comes to a very different conclusion: the effect of VC on the patenting output of their portfolio companies is insignificant or negative. While VC firms react to patents in order to identify promising tech companies, VC investment doesn't boost invested firms' subsequent technological output. This suggests that a key role of VC investment is to focus tech firms' resources on exploiting their existing intellectual property (IP) through commercialisation rather than fresh technological exploration. "VC funds select portfolio companies based on the signalling function of patents," concludes the study published in the journal Research Policy. "Patenting has much sharper effects on VC investments than the other way around." The study…

The Cambridge-based web production company of CBR policy associate Boni Sones OBE has been internationally recognised for a two-part radio documentary it produced about women in parliament.

Liberal UK economic policies since 1979 have not spurred growth, says report from the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge Judge Business School. Contrary to widespread assumption, the "sea-change" of liberal market economic policies introduced since 1979 has not boosted British growth, according to a study from the Centre for Business Research at University of Cambridge Judge Business School. While "conventional wisdom" holds that liberal market policies followed since Margaret Thatcher's 1979 election remain the best model for the UK economy, albeit with additional banking safeguards, "in this report we ask whether this benign view of the post-1979 world is a true reflection of the economic facts." The 74-page report, entitled The macroeconomic impact of liberal economic policies in the UK, shows that, contrary to widespread belief, GDP and productivity in the UK have grown more slowly since 1979 compared to previous decades. Average annual growth of per capita GDP fell from 2.6 per cent per annum in the three decades prior to 1980 to 2.2 per cent per annum in the following decades to 2007, and a decline of 0.2 per cent per annum since 2007. The deterioration in the growth of labour productivity after 1979 has been even…

Renewed UK government spending on innovative R&D can create new industries.

The BBC's Today programme interviewed David Howarth about the findings from the Centre for Business Research (CBR)'s workshop on the nuclear power contract under negotiation between EDF and the UK government. The EDF contract is one of several contracts for difference currently being negotiated under the government's Electricity Market Reform. The European Commission is investigating whether the contract constitutes 'state aid' contrary to internal market rules. The contract may also contravene EU law on the free movement of goods. Following the interview, the issues were discussed online in national, specialist and social media. © Photograph copyright by Ken Grainger [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons…

A new independent report for for the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), authored by Jonathan Haskel, Alan Hughes and Elif Bascavusoglu-Moreau, shows that investing public money in science and engineering is good for the economy.

A new report from the Centre for Business Research (CBR), Cultural Connections: The Role of the Arts and Humanities in Competitiveness and Local Development, considers how the arts and cultural institutions contribute to the appeal of place. Cultural institutions are a prominent part of UK society – and many have a rich and long heritage. The impact of such institutions has often been evaluated in terms of engagement and participation or on the direct economic impact of cultural institutions. This study primarily focuses on the wider role of cultural institutions in their local economies; their innovative activities; how they connect to other local organisations such as universities; and how they collaborate with academics from the arts and humanities.…

A Cambridge economist and government advisor is calling for a new approach to innovation policy designed to stimulate significant fiscal growth. Investing in technology innovation, although important for the long term, will not address the current need. Michael Kitson, University Senior Lecturer in International Macroeconomics at Cambridge Judge Business School, insists that a new and broader innovation strategy is needed to operate within a system and not just in individual markets. Investing in innovation technology generates growth but over a long time, evidenced by all major technologies. Economic growth, he adds, is not generated by the development of ideas. He says the biggest impact on the economy is the diffusion of ideas. Spreading into the rest of the economy, often extending to what he calls the 'boring parts'. "Investing in technology innovation is important for economic growth, but it will not get us out of the economic crisis we're in at the moment. It will not generate significant economic growth over two to three years' time. It will generate growth in 10-15 years' time." In an interview for the School's website, Kitson identified the poor exchange of ideas as an innovation system weakness in the UK. "It's about the exchange…

The cost of R&D and innovation is the subject of an award-winning paper by CJBS's Andrea Mina. Andrea, CJBS Lecturer in Economics of Innovation, and Henry Lahr, a Research Fellow from Cambridge's Centre for Business Research, won the Best Paper Award at the CONCORDi-2013 Conference, organised by the European Commission in Seville in September. A bi-annual event that brings together international scholars and top-level European policy makers, the 2013 Conference focused on the theme of 'Financing R&D and innovation for firms' growth'. The Scientific Committee granted the award for Andrea and Henry's paper, Dynamic financial constraints and innovation: evidence from the UK innovation surveys. The Award, presented by Professor Bronwyn Hall, was granted for 'the originality, the scientific rigour and the policy relevance with which the authors deal with the complex relationship between the firm's financial constraints and its innovation'. The paper shows that R&D activities and innovation are a likely cause of financial constraints for companies, while the effect of financial constraints on future R&D and innovation is less important. The implication of this finding is that financial constraints may intensify at the early stages of innovation diffusion, when many UK firms (especially SMEs) may lack the resources necessary…

Launch of final project report from the Foresight Lead Expert Group.

After nearly 20 years as Director of the Centre for Business Research (CBR), Professor Alan Hughes is standing down from this position, but will continue to play a major role in the Centre as Director of the UK~IRC, as a University Director of Research and as Director of the University's ESRC Social Science Impact Acceleration Programme. Alan will be succeeded by Professor Simon Deakin, who has been an Assistant Director of the Centre since its foundation. Simon will continue to have responsibility for the Centre's corporate governance research programme. Upon taking up his new appointment, Professor Deakin commented: Alan's achievement in leading for the CBR over two decades and bringing it to a position of international prominence in social science research and policy analysis is unique. It is humbling and daunting, but also a great privilege, to succeed him, and to be given the opportunity to pilot the Centre through the next stage in its evolution. Professor Alan Hughes commented: "Simon's research has made a pivotal contribution to the development of the international reputation of the CBR. He has also since its foundation played a fundamental role in its overall growth and development. His academic distinction and institutional commitment augur…

The CONCORDi-2013 Scientific Committee granted the CONCORDi-2013 Best Paper Award to the best selected work presented at the 4th European Conference on Corporate R&D and Innovation which took place on 26-27 September 2013 in Seville. The paper "Dynamic financial constraints and innovation: evidence from the UK innovation surveys", authored by Henry Lahr and Andrea Mina of the Centre for Business Research, has been prized for the originality, the scientific rigour and the policy relevance with which the authors deal with the complex relationship between the firm's financial constraints and its innovation. As the main result of the paper, the financial constraints experienced by the firms analysed do not seem dampen their R&D and innovation, while R&D activities and innovation, especially product and new-to-market ones, both make the firm more financially constrained. The attention of policy makers is drawn to the financial constraints that persist and gets even intensified when the firm innovates and enters the stage of its innovation diffusion. The policy support to this first stage is at least as important as that to innovation as such, especially with respect to SMEs, which often miss the capabilities to fully exploit their innovative outcomes. The prize was announced and granted…

The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) has announced the appointment of Professor Alan Hughes, Director of the Centre for Business Research (CBR), as one of NCUB's first Senior Research Fellows. Professor Hughes, widely regarded as a world leading thinker on innovation, will primarily focus on the annual State of the Relationship report which NCUB will publish examining the landscape for business-university engagement. He will also oversee research for the Growing Value Programme on increasing the impact of the UK’s innovation systems. Commenting on the NCUB's three new appointments, Chief Executive Dr David Docherty said: I am delighted to welcome Aaron Porter to our senior management team and Professor Alan Hughes and Michael Stevenson as our first Senior Research Fellows. The role of NCUB in advancing the state of university – business engagement is crucial, and these appointments allow us to ensure we are tapping into the expertise of world leading researchers and business leaders who understand how our work can be of benefit to both the university and business communities. Professor Alan Hughes is Director of the Centre for Business Research (CBR) and Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies at Cambridge Judge Business School, and a Fellow of…

In this note Bill Martin and Bob Rowthorn of the Centre for Business Research (CBR) respond to the recent critique by Goodridge, Haskel & Wallis of their 2012 study of Britain's productivity puzzle, Is the British Economy Supply Constrained II? A Renewed Critique of Productivity Pessimism. They show that a correct reworking of the latest official data on changes in labour composition overturns Goodridge, Haskel & Wallis's main criticism. They also question the strength of the empirical evidence offered by Goodridge, Haskel & Wallis in support of their alternative explanations of the productivity puzzle. Follow the debate Read the original study, Is the British Economy Supply Constrained II? A Renewed Critique of Productivity Pessimism, by Martin & Rowthorn, May 2012 Read the critique "Can intangible investment explain the UK productivity puzzle?" by Goodridge, Haskel & Wallis, National Economic Review, April 2013 Read the response and comment by Martin & Rowthorn, July 2013…

A paper by Henry Lahr, Research Associate at Centre for Business Research (CBR), has been published in the European Accounting Review. The paper, "An improved test for earnings management using kernel density estimation", describes improvements on methods developed by Burgstahler and Dichev (1997) and Bollen and Pool (2009) to test for earnings management by identifying discontinuities in distributions of scaled earnings or earnings forecast errors. The main advantage offered by the bootstrap procedure over prior methods is that it endogenises the bandwidth selection step for kernel density estimation. Results for scaled earnings and earnings forecast errors in US firms over the period 1976-2010 show that significance levels found in earlier studies are greatly reduced by the new test procedure, often to insignificant values. Discontinuities cannot be detected in analysts' forecast errors, while such findings of discontinuities in earlier research can be explained by a simple rounding mechanism.…

The Cadbury Archive at Cambridge Judge Business School has been completed with the addition of copies of all the speeches on corporate governance made by Sir Adrian Cadbury, Chairman of the UK Committee on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance. The Archive, established in 2010 and part of the Cambridge Corporate Governance Network (CCGN), is a major source for researchers into corporate governance. Dr Ian Jones of the University of Oxford and Dr Michael Pollitt of Cambridge Judge Business School lead the Ethics, Regulation and Globalisation project at Cambridge's Centre for Business Research (CBR). They argue that the governance laid down in the Cadbury Code has been interpreted too narrowly and the human side has been missed.…

The Centre for Business Research (CBR) and the UK Innovation Research Centre (UK~IRC) have released a new report, The Dual Funding Structure for Research in the UK: Research Council and Funding Council Allocation Methods and the Pathways to Impact of UK Academics.

The Re-igniting Growth report examines some of the challenges the UK faces after the economic downturn and explores a range of initiatives or challenges to policy that could help kickstart growth.

In 2011 the Enhancing Value Taskforce was launched by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) in conjunction with the UK~IRC to answer the question: "How do we make the most of the UK research base?"

Intervene or stand back – what should be the industrial strategy for the UK?

The report from the Heseltine Review published today, No Stone Unturned in Pursuit of Growth, looks at ways of making the UK economy more competitive – recommending a National Growth Council and distributing funds locally rather than through central government as some of the measures.

The Centre for Business Research (CBR), based at Cambridge Judge Business School, is delighted to announce that Kate Barker CBE has become the new Chair of its Advisory Board.

The Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) and the UK Innovation Research Centre (UK~IRC) Enhancing Value Taskforce has published the second major report in the series arising from their research.

Macroeconomist Michael Kitson says economics needs to be more humble and more relevant.

Internationally renowned innovation expert Professor Alan Hughes has been appointed as the Queensland Government Innovator in Residence, based at the University of Queensland Business School.

A project on Labour Law and Poverty Alleviation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries will be funded under the joint ESRC/DFID Joint Scheme on International Development (Poverty Alleviation).

The UK~IRC hosted a two-day conference on Open Innovation on 25-26 June 2012 at Imperial College London.

The House of Commons Select Committee agreed on 14 December 2011 to launch a new inquiry: Bridging the "Valley of Death": Improving the Commercialisation of Research.

Is this British economy in danger of slipping into a permanent state of stagnation because of failing private sector confidence and weak demand, or is it, as many policy makers believe, constrained by deep-seated structural defects?

Following a workshop that was co-organised by the UK Innovation Research Centre (UK~IRC) and the Cambridge Journal of Economics (CJE) on 'Universities and the Knowledge Economy', a special issue of the journal has been published.

Macroeconomist Michael Kitson of Cambridge Judge Business School compares the current global recession to the Great Depression of the 1930s and feels that austerity is here for a long time unless there is a change in economic policy, globally, as well as in the UK.

Highly respected macroeconomist Michael Kitson of Cambridge Judge Business School says a regime change in economics is needed to haul the country out of austerity and ensure long-term growth.

Radical changes to the UK's immigration policy are a 'kneejerk' reaction to the economic crisis warns leading economist Michael Kitson.

Members of the Centre for Business Research (CBR) contributed to the final conference of the FP7 FINNOV project (Finance, Innovation & Growth), which focused on the need for finance to be reformed so that it serves innovation and value creation – rather than innovation serving finance and too much value destruction.

Access news about the Centre for Business Research (CBR) from 2011.

2010 research news and insights from Cambridge’s Centre for Business Research, highlighting policy, innovation and economic studies.

Key 2009 CBR research on academic–industry links, innovation, and award‑winning studies shaping UK knowledge exchange.

Highlights from 2008 on innovation systems, governance research, awards and hidden R&D analysis across East of England firms.

Insights into Australia’s 1980–2004 productivity drivers, key CBR research milestones, awards, and policy impacts across 2007.

Research reveals how UK firms’ absorptive capacity and regional differences shape innovation, collaboration patterns, and policy implications.

Insights into 2005 CBR research on retail models, innovation systems, globalisation, productivity, governance and firms’ responses to economic shocks.

Insights from 2004 CBR research on UK-US innovation, acquisition performance, corporate governance, venture capital law and science policy.

CBR’s 2003 research explores Enron’s lessons, high‑tech entrepreneurship, SME challenges, skills shortages and UK corporate governance trends.

Insights from 2002 CBR events on financial regulation, company law reform, work‑life balance, and legal influences on venture capital and governance.