Women’s Org to help deliver major UK research project
Liverpool-based The Women’s Organisation is playing a leading role a major research project into how social enterprises can play a critical part the UK’s economic recovery.
The Women’s Organisation, an award-winning social enterprise that provides support for fledgling entrepreneurs, is partnering with Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) to deliver the study that will offer insight into driving recovery in areas hardest hit by COVID-19.
ERC is the UK’s leading centre of excellence for research into the growth, innovation and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Produced by recognised economic experts across the UK and internationally, the research will offer expert insights into how social enterprises can breathe new life into disadvantaged communities.
Research will be delivered in a special series of five State of the Art (SOTA) reviews, tackling individual key themes in relation to social enterprise, such as employment and skills opportunities, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
Set to be published in autumn 2020, the SOTA reviews will be launched through an online event and be made readily available for download for policymakers, business-leaders and wider audiences.
SOTA reviews were established by the ERC, which has research bases at both Warwick University Business School and Aston University Business School, in response to a growing demand from policymakers for specialist concise summaries on topical issues within the social economy sector.
The research will draw upon the latest economic evidence, address research gaps, and respond to key policy questions, seeking to provide solutions to the economic, social and environmental problems facing the UK following COVID-19.
Earlier this year, The Women’s Organisation was this year listed in the top 1% of UK social enterprises in the SE100 Index, which is the country’s leading source of market intelligence on social enterprise. It supports would-be and early-stage entrepreneurs through the Liverpool City Region Enterprise Hub.