Prof. Alan Hughes
Center for Business Research, University of Cambridge

Professor Alan Hughes is Director of the Centre for Business Research (CBR) and Margaret Thatcher Professor of Enterprise Studies at the Judge Institute of Management, and a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. He was from 2000 – 2003 Director of the National Competitiveness Network of the Cambridge-MIT Institute, a joint venture between MIT and the University of Cambridge. Professor Hughes has held visiting Professorships in the USA, France and Australia. His research interests, on which he has had published extensively, are concerned with industrial and technology policy; the measurement of innovation; growth, innovation and financial and acquisition characteristics of small and medium sized enterprises; analysis of the relationship between corporate takeovers, corporate governance, executive pay and business performance; training and business performance; measurement and evaluation of industrial and business support policy; the relationship between law and economics in the analysis of corporate organisation and performance. In the past 10 years he has published over 200 books, articles and chapters in books on these topics.

Professor Hughes has been invited to provide policy advice and consultancy by amongst others HM Treasury, HM Inland Revenue, the DTI, DfES, the Bank of England, Eurostat, the International Labour Organisation, the National Consumer Council, and the UN World Institute for Development Economic Research. Specific examples include: Evaluation of the impact of training on firm performance (DfES), Evaluation of the SMART scheme (DTI), Analysis of innovation activities in small firms (EU), Evaluation of the EIS and VCT Schemes (HM Inland Revenue), Analysis of Universities Spin-out Policy (Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs), Evaluation of the Small Business Initiative (British Bankers Association), Analysis of Effect of Mutuality on Building Society Structure (Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and the Building Society Association), Analysis of Legal Reform relating to Directors Duties, Institute of Directors and Law Commission), Background analysis for the Cruickshank report on Small Business Finance (HM Treasury). In 2004 he was appointed by the Prime Minister to membership of the Council for Science and Technology, the UK’s senior advisory body in this area.