Policy impact: Professor Nick Wilson's Research on Business Finance
Professor Nick Wilson's latest research, in collaboration with Dr Marek Kacer, has significantly influenced government strategies aimed at fostering SME growth and innovation.
Over the past three years, their work has been pivotal in shaping the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and HM Treasury's approach to business finance forecasting and policy modeling.
Professor Wilson's team has studied the provision of venture capital and debt finance for SMEs, along with regional investment disparities, laying the foundation for evidence-based policy recommendations.
This has led to the DBT and British Business Bank addressing this equity gap to stimulate growth by allocating funds in excess of £1bn to regional investment schemes such as the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, the Midlands Engine Investment Fund, and similar initiatives in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The targeted funding aims to foster growth and innovation, particularly in sectors with the potential to have a transformative impact on the economy, such as artificial intelligence (AI), clean energy, and financial innovation.
The research also contributed to the Mansion House Pension reforms and featured in the 2023 Autumn statement.
Professor Wilson id the Director of the Credit Management Research Centre (CMRC) whose research programme combines academic rigour with practitioner and policy relevance.
