Research Group Financial-Economic Advice in Innovation

• It is difficult for SME entrepreneurs to make digital investments. Many digital applications do not match their practice, their level of knowledge and are not plug and play.
• In small businesses there is an increasing demand for business intelligence and algorithm development (business performance, risk assessment, fraud detection, cyber security).
• The introduction of a digital euro. What are the pros and cons of business transactions?
• The research group focuses on (financial) business services and healthcare entrepreneurs.

HU Ambition: Together Digital: Improving digital inclusion and competitiveness of SMEs.
Objective: Better availability and use of digital applications for SMEs in collaboration with trade and professional associations, lab.

• The Netherlands is one of the top countries with the most obstacles to attracting (venture) capital. This blocks digital innovation and a sustainable transition.
• This is due to the lack of a credit and collateral register, tax facilities, an accessible guarantee system and the jungle of (complicated) subsidies.
• In addition, 50% of entrepreneurs are financially illiterate and the financial intermediary lacks the knowledge to find suitable capital for their transition.

HU Ambition: Sustainable Together, Learning Together: Stimulating a meaningful economy.
Objective: To remove barriers for SME financing in sustainability transitions. With an existing large network in the finance, fintech sector.

• There is a huge data shortage in and about small businesses. At the request of (branch) organisations, the research group has designed the Small Business Index (KBI). Healthcare entrepreneurs join, 3 PhD students are doing (cohort) research.
• The research group has been asked by the municipality of Utrecht to help shape the Utrecht Entrepreneur Central programme. It supports tens of thousands of small entrepreneurs in transition.
• At the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, the Province of Utrecht and the EU, we conduct (intervention) research.
• Entrepreneurial Well Being is an academic hot topic. In 2023, the research group will become an international project partner.

HU Ambition: Healthy Together, Learning Together: Increase physical and mental resilience and combatting lagging innovation.
Objective: Design and testing of support programmes and support for further upscaling.

• Entrepreneurs regularly make decisions based on habits that affect the continuity of their company.
• Their financial advisors also have many blind spots. They allow themselves to be guided by ingrained behaviour and do not arrive at optimal solutions.
• 50% of entrepreneurs, but also many students, are financially illiterate. They lack many basic skills to make a good financial decision.
• Financial stress among entrepreneurs and students leads to mental and health problems, unnecessary study drop-outs and/or bad financial decisions.

HU Ambition: Learning Together, Healthy Together: Improving financial choices and increasing mental resilience in the event of financial stress (entrepreneurs and students).
Objective: Discover mechanisms, design/test interventions and new forms of education.