Robert Blackburn

Robert Blackburn is Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Liverpool Management School and Director of the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship. His work focuses on entrepreneurship, small firms' internationalization, public policy, and inclusive entrepreneurship. He holds editorial roles for the International Small Business Journal and Routledge’s entrepreneurship book series. Blackburn has secured extensive research funding, including grants from the UK’s Research Excellence Framework, European Union, and OECD initiatives. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (2023), Chartered Association of Business Schools (2022), and recipient of the Cooper Medal (2022).

• Professional Roles: Editor-in-Chief of International Small Business Journal, Visiting Professor at Turku School of Economics, and member of the European Commission’s entrepreneurship policy advisory networks.
• Research Contributions: Over 200 publications, including seminal works on SMEs, entrepreneurship policy, and contextualization theory. Supervised over 20 doctoral students and examined 40+ theses.
• Policy Engagement: Advised the UK House of Lords on SME exports and co-authored EU policy frameworks for inclusive entrepreneurship. Led projects for OECD’s Better Entrepreneurship Toolkit and UK’s SME Bank Dispute Resolution Review.

His research emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, policy relevance, and addressing systemic inequities through entrepreneurship. Blackburn’s work bridges academic theory with practical policy solutions globally.