The National Rural Conference 2024 Conference Supporter - the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE)

Putting knowledge to work for an enterprising countryside

The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) puts knowledge to work for an enterprising countryside… combining research with practical innovation to find new ways of unlocking potential and supporting thriving rural businesses and communities.

Watch our animation to find out how:

Our work so far includes:

• Enabling a step change in the national rural economy evidence base through our major rural business surveys and State of Rural Enterprise (SORE) Reports covering rising costs, skills and labour availability and the climate emergency, alongside opportunities for growth.
• Informing regional and national policy by demonstrating how rural firms and farms are adapting through an ever-changing business environment and complementing our evidence with first-hand insights of rural firms through a series of videos.
• Informing the investment priorities of local and combined authorities, such as the new North East Combined Authority in relation to its Environment, Coast and Rural priority area.
• Catalysing innovation by working with partners on a series of testbed projects:
  • Helping communities transition to net zero and become more energy resilient: solar-powered community buildings
  • Tackling digital exclusion in hard-to-reach areas: Rural Northumberland Digital Inclusion project.
• Showcasing innovation in rural enterprise and communities through a series of videos which portray the rich diversity of the rural economy and via our innovation portal.
• Developing locally-appropriate solutions to climate change with rural communities through a series of climathons.
• Commissioning research from a variety of UK universities to examine how rural enterprises are adapting to challenges. Recent findings include exploring the potential for:
  • Rural pubs to diversify to offer workspaces
  • Rural businesses to use the natural capital in their area to attract workers
  • Enterprise Zones and Investment Zones to be re-designed to support and develop rural enterprise.
• Supporting rural businesses to understand how resilient their firm is through our practical online Resilience toolkit.
• Initiating a Rural Business Beacons network to gather insights from rural businesses and channel their voice straight to policy makers.
• Publishing research on a range of themes affecting rural businesses including access to external finance, short food supply chains and microclustering of creative firms.
• Contributing evidence and insight to All-Party Parliamentary Groups on levelling up the rural economy, cost of living in rural areas and geographically protected foods.
• Helping to empower rural women innovators by co-leading a Living Lab in Scotland as part of a major European project.
• Supporting businesses to adapt in a changing workplace to attract, retain and engage employees by providing resources in our online Future of work
• Hosting multiple knowledge exchange events nationally and regionally.

Find out more

To find out more about NICRE, visit our website, follow us on social media (X, LinkedIn and Facebook), or email [email protected]