Ethnic minority entrepreneur scheme launched
De Monfort University is spearheading a project to develop ways to support entrepreneurs from ethnic minorities. A network of public and private organisations, including Lancaster University, is involved in the scheme.
Funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has been awarded to De Montfort University’s Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) and the University of Lancaster to "promote innovation and knowledge transfer in the field of ethnic minority entrepreneurship".
The research project, named Facilitating Impact: Making entrepreneurship and diversity everyone’s business, builds on previous research by MEECOE (a consortium led by CREME), which involves partners Barclays Bank, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Business in the Community and local and national policy makers.
A series of activities that will directly benefit entrepreneurs from diverse communities such as small enterprises owned by ethnic minorities, women and young people, will be piloted and "real-time testing of novel approaches to supporting diverse businesses" will be employed by the partner organisations.
Professor Monder Ram, director of Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) at De Montfort University, said: “This funding will allow us to develop innovative approaches to supporting minority entrepreneurs at a time when there is policy vacuum in this most vital of areas. We will work with our private sector partners to show that diversity can be pursued to the benefit of all.”
University of Lancaster’s Dr Kiran Trehan added: “The research grant provides us with an exciting opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders from a wide variety of domains with the aim of developing an integrated approach to diversity and enterprise activity.”
