Business Basics Fund: Round 3 now open
We are very pleased to announce that the UK Business Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK have now opened the third round of the Business Basics Fund.
Blog
Read the latest blogs from the IGL network.
Fantastic experimental papers and where to find them
It’s not always easy to find reliable and robust experimental research which we can use to learn what works in different contexts. Therefore, to encourage evidence-based policymaking, we have updated our database and include over 150 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) in the field of innovation, entrepreneurship and growth.
Management practices - a special “technology” to invest in
What comes first to mind when we hear the words “technology adoption”? Answers tend to range widely, from a new machine, to a resistant seed variety, to an online payment method, but they rarely include organisational practices. However, besides using new inputs or processes for the production of goods and the delivery of services, we can also improve firm productivity by changing its “management technology”.
What has experimentation taught us about tech adoption?
Technology adoption is deeply intertwined with growth and productivity: differences in the speed with which technologies diffuse can explain a large share of the differences in wealth between countries.
Using experiments to reduce late payments
In the UK, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that established a working relationship with large businesses have suffered the consequences of not getting paid in a timely manner. The scale and threat of late payments is identified as having a draining effect on growth and productivity.
A symphony for policy experimentation: The innovation quartet
Part one of the three-part blog series on cross-sectoral partnerships for the future of innovation.
A symphony for policy experimentation: Intro
Cross-sectoral partnerships are essential for the future of innovation. This three part blog series is here to convince you that cross-sectoral partnerships are desirable, that they are possible, but generally speaking will not happen on their own.
5 reasons to submit your abstract to the IGL Winter Research Meeting
Are you working on an experiment exploring entrepreneurship, business productivity, innovation, the science of science, or related topics? Then read our five reasons why you should apply to present at our Winter Research Meeting on 21 November at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Activating university-industry partnerships, one step at a time
On paper, university-industry partnerships offer great opportunities to both sides, and yet in reality these partnerships are hard to come by. Ferran Giones explains the pilot study they did, funded by the IGL Grants Programme, to try to encourage more.
The impact of soft-skills training for microentrepreneurs in Jamaica (part two)
IGL grantees present their final findings from an RCT into the impact of soft-skill business training programmes on microentrepreneurs.
Mission-oriented innovation policy: how can experimentation help?
Mission-oriented innovation policy is back on the agenda, gaining more and more traction among both innovation policymakers and practitioners. Teo Firpo explains how and why experimentation is important when delivering missions.
Making room to learn from failure
Not all new policy ideas will be successful. If policymakers are to be experimental then they and wider stakeholders will have to accept the risk that new programmes or design changes will fail to work as intended. James Phipps takes on failures in his latest blog.