Oxford Regions, Innovation & Enterprise Lab

About us

ORIEL is a specialist centre of excellence that studies enterprise, entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development through a spatial lens. In keeping with the mission of Oxford Brookes University, ORIEL is committed to delivering engaged and impactful research, seeking to influence research and practice and to have a positive impact on local communities as well as on organisations and society throughout the world. Our activities centre around three main themes:

  1. Sustainable and responsible enterprise.

  2. The future of enterprise.

  3. Innovation and enterprise policy.

ORIEL provides a platform for enterprise, entrepreneurship, innovation and regional economic development research and engagement that focuses on and addresses the needs of public, private and third sector stakeholders. By linking intellectually led questions and practice-based solutions, ORIEL bridges academic insight and its application. Members of ORIEL engage in local, national and international research on a range of issues, from regional economic development, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and innovation to SME growth and internationalisation. Research also addresses forward-thinking agendas and debates around technological advancement, in particular the impact and implications of artificial intelligence for organisations, economy, and society, as well as inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience.

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Leadership

Joanna Karmowska

Dr Joanna Karmowska

Reader in Strategy and Innovation

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Sara le Roux

Dr Sara le Roux

Reader in Applied Economics and Decision; Programme Lead in Economics

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Jen Nelles

Professor Jen Nelles

Professor of Systems and Spatial Analysis /Senior Research Fellow Innovation and Research Caucus

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Professor Tim Vorley

Pro Vice-Chancellor

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Jeremy Zwiegelaar

Dr Jeremy Zwiegelaar

Senior Lecturer in Enterprise and Business

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Membership

Staff

Name Role Email
Dr Ahmad Abd Rabuh Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Business Analytics aabd-rabuh@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Syahirah Abdul Rahman Senior Lecturer in Innovation & Entrepreneurship sabdul-rahman@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Sola Adesola Senior Lecturer in Business and Management sadesola@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Levent Altinay Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship laltinay@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Shelley Beck Senior Lecturer in Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship sbeck@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Marc Cowling Professor of Economics and Productivity mcowling@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Greg Kapuscinski Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management gkapuscinski@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Javier Monllor Senior Lecturer in Business and Management jmonllor@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Roopa Nagaraju Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Innovation aaruvanahalli-nagaraju@brookes.ac.uk
Elvis Nyanzu Research Fellow enyanzu@brookes.ac.uk
Michalis Papazoglou Research Associate mpapazoglou@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Sarah Quinton Dean of Research, Knowledge Exchange & Innovation, Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences sequinton@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Kate Ringham Programme Lead Applied Accounting kringham@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Tzameret Rubin Senior Lecturer in Innovation Management t.rubin@brookes.ac.uk
Steven Taylor Lecturer in Business and Management steventaylor@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Francisco Trincado Munoz Lecturer in Business Analytics ftrincado-munoz@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Lauren Tuckerman Senior Lecturer ltuckerman@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Kevin Walsh Research Fellow kwalsh@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Karla Zimpel-Leal Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Enterprise kzimpel-leal@brookes.ac.uk

Projects

Active projects

Project title and description Investigator(s) Funder(s) Dates

Innovation Caucus

The Innovation Caucus supports sustainable innovation-led growth by promoting engagement between the social sciences and the innovation ecosystem.

Professor Tim Vorley ESRC From: June 2020
Until: June 2023

DIGIT Lab

Accelerating digital innovation for growth, impact, and transformation of large established organisations.
Professor Tim Vorley, Dr Jeremy Zwiegelaar ESRC From: March 2021
Until: February 2026

Developing an ecosystem framework for space policy intervention

Professor Jen Nelles, Professor Tim Vorley From: June 2022
Until: March 2023

Innovation and Research Caucus

Using robust evidence to support UKRI, the Innovation and Research Caucus develops evidence-led research and innovation policies, strategies and decision-making, providing insights into what works, where and why. Working with the wider academic community and our funders to create a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Dr Syahirah Abdul Rahman, Professor Jen Nelles, Dr Lauren Tuckerman, Professor Tim Vorley ESRC, Innovate UK From: January 2023
Until: March 2026

Completed projects

Project title and description Investigator(s) Funder(s) Dates

Entrepreneurial Resiliency, Innovation, and Change during the COVID-19 Crisis

A UKRI research project designed to help British entrepreneurs survive and thrive during a time of uncertainty.

Professor Tim Vorley ESRC From: June 2020
Until: February 2022

Innovating Next Generation Services through Collaborative Design

This project seeks to understand and address the challenges facing mid-sized professional services firms in law and accountancy in adopting and implementing AI technologies.

Professor Tim Vorley ESRC From: December 2018
Until: April 2022

Our publications

We regularly publish articles on a wide range of global challenges, from climate change and economic inequality to public health and social justice. Our publications provide insight and analysis on these complex topics, and we hope they will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in staying informed about the latest developments in these critical areas.

person in front of a laptop reading