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Staff Profile

Staff Profile

Ian Merrell

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow

Background

I am a multi-disciplinary qualitative researcher, based in the Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) and National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) at Newcastle University. 

After completing my BSc in Countryside Management at the CRE I was awarded a 3 1 PhD scholarship with the ESRC to research Rural Enterprise Hubs and their impact on the rural economy. During this time I also worked as a research associate on two EU INTERREG projects - INNOgrow and Rural Growth. 

Following the completion of my PhD, I joined the Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR) at the University of Exeter, working as a postdoctoral researcher on another INTERREG project called BioCultural Heritage Tourism (BCHT). During these 20 months I worked alongside tourism businesses, coaching them in the process of introducing new immersive experiences and becoming more sustainable in their day-to-day practices. I am now an Honorary Researcher Fellow of the CRPR and continue to advise the Centre on matters relating to rural enterprise. 

Recently I have re-joined the CRE to commence an ESRC-sponsored postdoctoral fellowship where I shall focus on publishing academic journals and disseminating my PhD findings to a wide group of stakeholders, including policy makers and practitioners. 

Impact Activities:

Worked alongside a private company to design new enterprise hub following the results of my PhD and incorporating the 'honey pot' and 'hive' model that was expanded in my thesis. I also sit on their advisory board. 

Provided consultancy to multiple regions in Europe about establishing rural enterprise hubs in their region. 

Presented findings of the PhD to multiple projects, academic conferences and research centres/institutions seminars. 

Submitted evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Rural Economy about the role of rural enterprise hubs in rural development. 




Research

PhD Thesis: Rural Innovation and Knowledge Exchange: The Contribution of Rural Enterprise Hubs. Supervisors: Professor Jeremy Phillipson, Professor Matthew Gorton, Doctor Paul Cowie. 

Abstract: This thesis is an investigation into rural enterprise hubs, physical infrastructures providing tangible facilities (workspaces and meeting rooms for example) and intangible services (e.g. networking and learning opportunities) to rural businesses. Enterprise hubs have often been studied in an urban context (Bergek & Norrman, 2008; SQW, 2006; Kerry & Danson, 2016) but rarely in a rural context, except from research through the Rural Growth Network (SQW, 2016; Cowie et al, 2013). Two research objectives are directly concerned with the hubs: first, to analyse their determinants of success and the key benefits they bring to their tenants; and secondly, to investigate the role of rural enterprise hubs in the wider economy. Empirically, the North East of England was used as the study area for three phases of qualitative research. Three groups of participants were interviewed: regional development officers, hub managers and hub tenants. Innovation does not occur in isolation and a system of support is required to foster growth. The hubs sit within a regional Territorial Innovation Model (TIM). The regional TIM has two main elements – a triple helix (Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff, 2000) and a wider entrepreneurial ecosystem (Mason & Brown, 2014). These two systems are representative of the agglomeration and system-based approaches to territorial innovation, however, both of these typically treat rural economies as disadvantaged in their ability to innovate. Agglomeration-based models rely on high proximities between actors which rural areas typically lack, and system-based models tend to place rural areas at the periphery. The results evidence that determinants of success were grouped around external (local market contexts and competition) and internal factors (facilities, services, niches).  The competency of the hub managers appears to be a critical determinant for success as well as developing a strong niche. The tenants of the hub demonstrated different desires to grow and experienced different benefits because of this. The benefits of the hub were found to be on two levels. First-order benefits are improving the business/growth and additional opportunities to network. Second-order benefits were found to be additional opportunities to learn/exchange knowledge and the opportunity to form collaborations with other tenants. Additionally, the hubs were found to be particularly beneficial to previously home-based businesses.  

Other Research Projects: 

BCHT(INTERREG) - I was involved in action research whilst coaching 20 businesses in two UK UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (North Devon and the Living Coast) to introduce new immersive tourist experiences and become more sustainable. Other roles included producing a report on Voluntary Tourism Revenue Reinvestment (VTRR) schemes and their applicability to the project and survey analysis to create a set of tourist persona's, aimed at policy makers, practitioners and businesses alike. 

The Role of Co-Working Spaces in Digital Rural Futures (R-CoS) (Digit Innovation Fund) - I have worked on a cross-University research project led by Prof Gary Bosworth (Northumbria University) investigating rural co-working spaces. During this time I have contributed to the direction of the research, conducted interviews with hub managers, provided new analysis from my PhD data and wrote research papers. 

Rural Growth (INTERREG) - Disseminated results of my PhD to the National teams and provided consultancy to regions who wished to pursue Rural Enterprise Hubs as a policy initiative. Other roles included attending inter-regional meetings and  facilitating interactive workshops.

INNOgrow (INTERREG) - Presented PhD findings to the members of the project team and conducted a telephone survey with innovative UK rural businesses. Provided consultancy to one partner who wished to create a new hub/incubator focusing on agri-tech businesses in their region. 


Publications