UWE Bristol and Wiltshire Council begin economic research project

The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) has launched an exciting research project in partnership with Wiltshire Council to explore the impact of Brexit and COVID‐19 on patterns of working and rural enterprise in the county.
The research project, which started on 1 August and will last for around a year, is titled ‘Post-pandemic working in rural Wiltshire: Building resilience and recovery’, and has been funded with £10,000 seed funding from UWE Bristol’s prestigious Challenge Fund.
It is being led by Professor Carol Jarvis, Professor in Knowledge Exchange and Innovation in Bristol Business School, with colleagues from the business school and planning, and aims to improve the performance of rural enterprise to build resilient communities in Wiltshire.
Andy Brown, Wiltshire Council Corporate Director Resources and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “This is a unique opportunity for Wiltshire, as nowhere else in the country is benefitting from research on this scale – and as such it will have wider relevance for business in rural areas throughout the nation.
“Our officers are in regular dialogue with UWE Bristol, and we’re delighted that Professor Jarvis and colleagues have chosen Wiltshire for this important body of research.
“The project will provide us with evidence, data and insights that will enable us to better address challenges around rural enterprise, help our businesses and ultimately deliver on our 2032 vision to ensure all of our communities benefit from inclusive and sustainable growth.”
The council will be working closely with the UWE Bristol team to help facilitate the project including providing the contact details of Wiltshire businesses and business groups, and space to conduct interviews and research.
Professor Carol Jarvis noted how important this collaboration is, she said: “The support we have already received from Wiltshire Council has been really impressive and will be central for the work to deliver real and lasting impact for communities in rural Wiltshire.
“We are looking forward to extending this collaboration to people living and working in rural Wiltshire and to working with them to generate practical recommendations to identify opportunities to develop Wiltshire’s rural enterprise ecosystem.”
Related news

03 April 2025
Interdisciplinary studio bridging the gap between creative industries and technology opens at UWE Bristol
A new £3.6m laboratory has opened at UWE Bristol which will provide a unique arts, humanities and technologies multi-disciplinary space for researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses across the West of England.

28 February 2025
Paramedics in GP surgeries may ease workload but not NHS costs, study finds
Paramedics working in GP surgeries help reduce GP workload but do not contribute to cost savings to the NHS, according to the first major study of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of paramedic compared with GP consultations.

11 February 2025
Comics could help explain science in court, study finds
Comics explaining the complexities of forensic science in simple terms could improve understanding for jurors in court cases, research conducted at UWE Bristol suggests.

06 February 2025
Opinion: ‘We’re ensuring people have access to diverse images for healthcare’
Flicking through the pages of academic medical textbooks back in 2022, our team spotted a surprising omission: a stark absence of images of health conditions on darker skin tones.

03 February 2025
Groundbreaking UWE Bristol project based on children’s lived experiences of racism in the UK set to transform police training
UWE Bristol researchers have worked with over 1,000 primary-aged children to explore everyday experiences of racism to inform future police training.

30 January 2025
Women exercising in gyms face barriers including body image and harassment, study finds
Women exercising in gyms often feel judged for their appearance and performance, leading to a persistent sense of inadequacy, according to a new study.

22 January 2025
Can DIY greening solutions transform your street and combat climate change?
Do-it-yourself (DIY) greening kits could help safeguard the country's most vulnerable communities from the impacts of a rapidly changing environment, according to a new project supported by UWE Bristol.

14 January 2025
UWE Bristol secures British Council grant to strengthen educational ties with three leading Nigerian universities
UWE Bristol has secured a British Council Transnational Education (TNE) grant to work collaboratively with three of Nigeria’s foremost universities.

03 January 2025
Big leap forward for environmentally friendly ‘e-textiles’ technology
Research led by UWE Bristol and the University of Southampton has shown wearable electronic textiles (e-textiles) can be both sustainable and biodegradable.

19 December 2024
UWE Bristol academic appointed honorary professor at prestigious Danish university
A UWE Bristol researcher has been appointed an honorary professor at a prestigious university in Denmark.

18 December 2024
Opinion: Christmas… are you ‘totally sleighing it’ or wondering ‘what the elf’?
Could singing in a group bring a moment of calm and boost your mood this Christmas?

10 December 2024
ONS Research Excellence award win for UWE Bristol data research group
UWE Bristol’s Data Research, Access, and Governance Network (DRAGoN) has won the Organisational Excellence Award at the 2024 Office of National Statistics (ONS) Research Excellence Awards.