The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) will shine a spotlight on how businesses in rural areas are responding to the major challenges affecting the UK economy and the policy landscape at an event this month.

Following the exclusive preview at this year’s RSN National Rural Conference, NICRE will set out findings from its second large-scale rural business survey at ‘The State of Rural Enterprise: Adapting and Innovating through Change’ on 29 November 2023, and hear directly from rural firms about how they are adapting.

A focus will be the impact of the cost-of-doing-business crisis, alongside how firms are responding to the climate emergency, and the availability of skills/labour in the rural economy.

The event for national stakeholders, chaired by Lord Curry of Kirkharle, will also consider how rural businesses can be better supported, and explore how rural economies can be further connected to the innovation system.

There is limited availability to attend the event and NICRE is encouraging those from policy, business, and community and voluntary sectors to register.

NICRE director Jeremy Phillipson, Professor of Rural Development at one of its founding academic partners the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University, said:

“Our national event is a great opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders to find out the state of rural enterprise through the findings of our survey and the experiences of rural businesses.

“In the wake of continuing rising costs, the climate emergency and a shortage of skills, we will provide much-needed evidence on their impact and the coping strategies deployed in order to inform future support.

“With adaptation a key component, we will also consider how rural economies can be better connected to the innovation system and explore the potential future opportunities that could offer.”

NICRE’s event takes place at The Shard, London. Please register as soon as possible. Registrations will close approximately two weeks prior.