Research Cluster

Welcome to the University of Bradford's Transformative Entrepreneurship & Small Businesses research cluster.

I am delighted to introduce a Research Cluster on Transformative Entrepreneurship and Small Businesses.

This research cluster builds on the decades of academic excellence in the field of theory and practice of entrepreneurship at the University of Bradford School of Management and signifies a new chapter in developing a research empowered entrepreneurial ecosystem at our University. The cluster is a home to a vibrant community of scholars engaged in interdisciplinary research advancing our understanding of whether and how entrepreneurship can amplify the transformative potential of new technologies to enable just transitions, address inequalities, boost small businesses and support communities.

Through its research and research impact activities, the cluster endeavours to empower individuals and organisations to entrepreneurially embrace transformative opportunities to change their lives and practices for the better.

Prof. Vadim Grinevich, TESB Research Cluster Head

Our aim and objectives

The TESB cluster's priority is to accelerate cutting edge impactful research in entrepreneurship and small business-related domains that explore the opportunities and actions emerging from new transformative technologies to create and diffuse economic, socio-cultural and environmental value for individuals, organisations, communities and societies.

Our objectives as a cluster are to:

• Initiate and lead new forward-looking strands of research at the nexus of our existing research strengths in circularity, applied AI, data analytics, and theory and practice of entrepreneurship
• Expand our capabilities to co-create entrepreneurship research with its beneficiaries, in particular startups and small business
• Enhance a virtuous cycle between entrepreneurship research, education, practice and technology transfer and commercialisation

Our themes

We critically explore the intersection between entrepreneurship and emerging cutting edge technological trends as a source of transformative societal transitions that are just, inclusive and equitable. In order to do this we have identified key research themes as:

• Inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems
• AI and entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurial university and just transitions
• Twin (digital and sustainability) transitions and entrepreneurship
• 'Technopreneurship' and intersectionality
• Sharing platforms and entrepreneurship
• Transformative entrepreneurial finance
• Transformative entrepreneurship as practice

Cluster Members

TESB has aims to work with a number of members who have expertise in the field of entrepreneurship and small businesses.

At current our members include:

• Prof. Vadim Grinevich - Research Cluster Head
• Dr Nuno Arroteia
• Dr Farzaneh Fakhredin
• Dr Berk Kucukaltan
• Dr Shahid Rasul
• Prof. David Spicer
• Prof. Paul Thorning
• Dr Kuttimani Tamilmani

The cluster also has a number of associate members from the University of Bradford, UK-based universities, Pakistan and Canada providing a global focus.

Recent Research

As mentioned above TESB aims to initiate and lead new forward-looking strands of research at the nexus of our existing research strengths. Members of our cluster have a number of recent research publications from recent years which we aim to build on as a cluster.