Enabling Business Growth and Knowledge Exchange in an Enterprising Countryside.

• Project Dates: 2015 - 2020
• Project Leader: Jeremy Phillipson (CRE) and Matthew Gorton (NUBS)
• Staff: Robert Newbery (NUBS), Sara Maioli (NUBS), Pattanapong Tiwasing (CRE) and Roger Turner (CRE Associate) -- Katie-Aitken McDermott and Ian Merrell (PhD Students)

Rural EnterpriseUK (REUK) is a 5 year integrated research, enterprise and implementation initiative designed to improve the fortunes of rural SMEs across the UK. It is being led by Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) in the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and the Business School, Newcastle University. The REUK concept has been developed through extensive consultations with UK Government departments, enterprise agencies, business organisations and other partners. It aims to analyse and disseminate evidence of growth opportunities and challenges for businesses in UK’s rural areas; identify solutions to overcome impediments to raising productivity in rural areas and foster rural business development and growth.

REUK activity will help business owners, their representatives, advisors and policy makers to understand and tackle differential weaknesses and strengths within rural and non-rural firms, and to identify and encourage the adoption of successful solutions to such challenges by businesses themselves, by public and private business advisors, and by those who design or deliver support for national and local economies. This will be achieved by extended evidence, improved monitoring and more comprehensive expertise exchange regarding the contribution, needs and potential of rural enterprises. 

Website available: here