Cornwall and Industrial Strategy

NICRE and Cornwall Council brought business leaders and national policy makers together to discuss how rural economies can help deliver the government’s vision.

Rural community energy

How are rural communities developing innovative energy solutions to improve sustainability and resilience?

Future of coastal streams

We brought stakeholders together to develop solutions to enhance the water quality and climate resilience of Northumberland’s coastal streams.

Cornwall and Industrial Strategy

Rural community energy

Future of coastal streams

Welcome to NICRE

About us

At the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE), we put 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.

Who we are

What we do

We focus on three interconnecting activities. 

  1. We fill gaps in our current knowledge of rural enterprise and innovation. We achieve this by undertaking and commissioning new research.
  2. We develop practical solutions with businesses, rural communities and economic development agencies. They show new approaches to rural innovation that we can scale up to solve problems and realise new opportunities.
  3. We provide evidence to influence better policy and support for rural businesses. 

Our progress

  • 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

Unlocking potential

We’re finding new ways of unlocking potential and supporting thriving rural businesses and communities.

Research and evidence

Research increases our knowledge and deepens our understanding, changing the way we think about rural enterprises, how we address their challenges and identify new opportunities

Research and evidence

Research increases our knowledge and deepens our understanding, changing the way we think about rural enterprises, how we address their challenges and identify new opportunities

Innovation projects

Together with our network of partners, we’re combining theory and practice to encourage new ways of thinking and supporting development of new products, services and practices that provide tangible benefits to our rural businesses and communities.

We do this through a series of practical projects.

Innovation projects

Together with our network of partners, we’re combining theory and practice to encourage new ways of thinking and supporting development of new products, services and practices that provide tangible benefits to our rural businesses and communities.

We do this through a series of practical projects.

Our business partner

Our business partner

Helping our economy reach its potential

NICRE can provide much of the research, knowledge transfer and support for businesses, and exemplars that are needed to help our economy reach its potential.

Dr Jason Beedell

Rural Research Director, Strutt & Parker

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