Professor David Pickernell

What Faculty do you work in?
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

What is your main area of research?
Small Business and Enterprise Development Policy

What SDG is your research most closely aligned with?
Decent Work and Economic Growth

What do you hope to accomplish with your research?
To better identify how innovation can be beneficially applied in business, public sector, and third sector settings, identifying the innovation and entrepreneurship activities that are of most use in supporting ‘levelling up’ activities of local communities.

Is there a cross-disciplinary element to your research?  If so, who else at the University is involved?
Through the Innovation and Entrepreneurship research institute, I work across the different disciplines within the Faculty but also across different Faculties. This can most obviously be seen in my current collaboration to bid for UKRI Strengthening the resilience of the UK food system funding, on a project entitled “A holistic regenerative Fungi-Based UK Circular food system via herbs, tilapia, and animal feed” with colleagues focused on biosciences, biomedical sciences, aquaculture, public health, informatics, food consumer behaviour and psychology, supply chains, economics, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

Are there any external collaborators involved?
Yes, I am involved with multiple external collaborations with colleagues from other Welsh universities, but also colleagues located in England, France, Sweden and Australia.

What is next for your research?
I am looking at how best to support the regional economy through innovation and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on  Neath Port Talbot in the wake of the Tata steel announcement.


Professor David Pickernell