enabling business growth and knowledge exchange in an enterprising countryside

Rural Enterprise UK is a 5 year integrated research, enterprise and implementation initiative designed to improve the fortune of rural SMEs across the UK. It is being led by Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) and Business School and has been built upon extensive consultation with UK Government departments, enterprise agencies, business organisations and other partners. Rural Enterprise UK aims:

• to analyse and disseminate evidence of growth opportunities and challenges for businesses in UK's rural areas,
• to identify solutions to overcome impediments to raising productivity in rural areas and foster rural business development and growth.

Rural Enterprise UK 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 through expertise exchange regarding the contribution, needs and potential of rural enterprises.  

Rural Enterprise UK has been initiated with financial support from Newcastle University and the Higher Education Innovation Fund.