GHK has undertaken a wide range of assignments in relation to enterprise, industry and regional development, focusing on issues such as the European Regional Development Fund, the situation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women entrepreneurs, research and development, innovation and better regulation. Examples of these assignments include:
Evaluation of the ‘Think Small First’ Principle – DG Enterprise and Industry
We were commissioned to evaluate the application of the ‘Think Small First’ principle in European Union legislation and programmes. The objective of the study was to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the specific rules for SMEs in relevant Community legislation and programmes, and their coherent application in accordance with the Think Small First principle.
Interim evaluation of Women Innovators and Sciences – DG Enterprise and Industry
The objectives of this study were to identify and apply methodologies for quantifying the number of women innovators and evaluating policy initiatives to promote women innovative entrepreneurship, including in scientific and technological sectors. The team undertook data collection, literature review, secondary data analysis, stakeholder consultations, and analysed policies and programmes for the promotion of female entrepreneurship in 14 European Member States. Four Member States were then selected as good practice for in-depth analysis.
Interim Evaluation of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme – DG Enterprise and Industry
We were tasked with carrying out the interim evaluation of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP). The evaluation focused on two specific issues: the performance of the former Euro Info Centres (EIC) and Innovation Relay Centres (IRC), and the setting-up of the Enterprise Europe Network; and the impacts of the Financial Instruments. The evaluation combined summative and formative approaches, and involved a desk review of monitoring data, literature review, stakeholder consultations across 27 Member States and a business survey.
Evaluation of small and medium-sized enterprise to public procurement markets in the European Union – DG Enterprise
We evaluated the development in the access of SMEs to European public procurement tenders for the period 2002-2005, took stock of existing good practices at national level and issued recommendations on how to improve access. The assignment included a statistical analysis of over 280,000 contract award notices published in the Official Journal, as well as a large-scale telephone survey of companies and awarding authorities. It also included a comparison with the United States market. The estimations made on SMEs’ access to public procurement are now being communicated by DG Enterprise and Industry to stakeholders and the study recommendations have also fed into the Small Business Act, adopted in 2008.
Evaluation of the regional Centres of Industrial Collaboration – UK Yorkshire Forward (Regional Development Agency)
The Centres of Industrial Collaboration programme is a £11m initiative established by Yorkshire Forward to deliver research, development and consultancy to regional businesses in key technology sectors. We delivered an evaluation, which included surveys of participating businesses, stakeholder interviews using the Strategic Added Value framework and case studies to demonstrate intangible benefits. The assessment was used in an Impact Assessment and informed regional policy decisions on future innovation priorities.