ISBE: Research and Knowledge Exchange Fund (RAKE)
Overview
The ISBE Research and Knowledge Exchange (RAKE) Fund provides financial support to new research activities from academics, third sector organisations, businesses, consultants and practitioners. The fund was created with the aim of assisting the exploration of issues, challenges and opportunities surrounding entrepreneurial activities and small firm performance and to encourage and promote cutting-edge research which is relevant to both the development of policy and practice.
First call for applications 2025
Elbows Up: This theme symbolises the proactive and resilient stance SMEs can adopt through innovation and entrepreneurship to navigate challenging economic times and promote more resilient economies. The interlinking roles of innovation and entrepreneurship in SMEs are crucial in this context.
Collaborative bids are invited, drawing together any combination of third-sector organisations, academic researchers, consultants, and practitioners. The Principal Investigator must be employed within a UK institution that is an ISBE organisational member but may be partnered with an international team—indeed, this is encouraged. Research teams that demonstrate capacity building through collaborations between experienced and early career academics will be favourably considered; applications that demonstrate ‘in-kind’ contributions, such as access to data, research facilities, or expertise from partner organisations, are welcomed, as are those jointly funded from other sources.
Proposals
This call invites original research proposals that delve into the intricate connections between innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional and national resilience, explicitly focusing on SMEs operating in markets particularly affected by global market turbulence. Potential submissions may, therefore consider, but are not limited to:
- Strategies for nurturing practical Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Regions directly and indirectly impacted by changes in markets particularly affected by the current global market turbulence, including issues of inequality as negative impacts affect some entrepreneurial subgroups more than others:
- Investigating collaborative networks among SMEs, research institutions, and local communities that support knowledge spillovers and technology transfer as catalysts for resilience.
- Innovation and Entrepreneurial-Driven Resilience and Adaptation:
- How SMEs successfully and resiliently adapt to changing market dynamics to foster sustainable growth in their businesses and enhance the resilience of their localities.
- Policy Interventions and Incentives:
- Assess government policies that promote innovation and entrepreneurship in terms of their impacts on the incentives for entrepreneurial SMEs to invest in research, development, and innovation in regions affected by the current global turbulence and the long-term implications of such SME-led development.
- Measuring Impact and Outcomes:
- Metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of entrepreneurial innovation-driven initiatives in terms of socioeconomic indicators reflecting progress in the resilience of affected regions and nations
All proposals must demonstrate relevance to the RAKE Fund Call theme and specify data collection, handling, analysis techniques, and dissemination plans.
For this round of funding, we envisage awarding up to three grants of around £2,000 – £4,000. Awards will not support full economic costing, given ISBE’s position as a registered charity.
Funding
For this round of funding, they envisage awarding up to three grants of around £2,000 – £4,000. Awards will not support full economic costing given ISBE’s position as a registered charity. Applications for smaller, seed corn funds would not be discounted; however, they will not consider bids which:
- Exceed £4,500
- Exceed 1200words in total (including references/notes/tables/appendices)
- Appear to be funding postgraduate students’ course of study
- Seek funding for conference attendance and travel.
Previous Awards
To view details of successful awards visit the website