Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre (CLEC)

Organisation profile

Established in 2007, CLEC undertakes research around entrepreneurship and management skills, innovation and economic development, and related policy related issues. It is also the delivery vehicle for the 20Twenty Leading Business Growth Programme, which began as a large scale European-funded research and delivery programme on SME management skills development. Members of CLEC also provide policy evidence (Welsh Government, UK Industrial Strategy) on a regular basis.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Our work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

Nick Clifton
- Cardiff School of Management - REF Co-ordinator Professor
- Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre (CLEC)
- Regional Innovation & Regeneration Centre (RIRC)
Person: Academic
20012025
Brian Morgan
- Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre (CLEC)
Person: Academic
20142019
Selyf Morgan
- Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre (CLEC)
Person: Academic
20192019

29 Article
4 Commissioned report
2 Chapter
2 Conference contribution
More

Developing innovation capabilities through Programme Communities of Practice: Evidence from Wales
Walpole, G., Liu, Z., Clifton v, N. & Li, S., 2 Jun 2025, In: International Journal of Management Education. 23, 3, p. 101215 101215.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Innovations in innovation policy for the circular economy
Clifton, N. & Walpole, G., 18 Mar 2025, Innovations in Innovation Policy. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., p. 35-52 18 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Open Access
Investigating the systemic nature of knowledge networks of regions
Weidenfeld, A. & Clifton, N., 17 Mar 2025, In: Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 215, 124079.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access

2 Consultancy
2 Other
1 Oral presentation

UKRI Innovate UK £212,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership Project Lead CIMSPA Data Science and Workforce Planning
Osborne, S. (Other), Anupam, A. (Participant) & Clifton, N. (Participant)
16 Jan 2024
Activity: Other
 Scoping and Feasibility Study for a new Foundational Economy Academy in Wales
Clifton, N. (Consultant) & Walpole, G. (Consultant)
1 Jun 2022 → 1 Dec 2022
Activity: Consultancy
 Innovation Thought Leadership Project – Innovation for a Circular Economy (with Gary Walpole), for Innovate UK via Innovation Caucus) (£10k April 2022 – Feb 2023) (£10k)
Clifton, N. (Consultant) & Walpole, G. (Consultant)
1 Apr 2022 → 28 Feb 2023
Activity: Consultancy

Outstanding PGR Supervisor of the Year (2023)
Clifton, N. (Recipient), 12 May 2023
Prize
 Best paper at the Society of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity (July 12~15, 2023, Naples) "Implementing circular economy: Experience from Wales” (with Zheng Liu, Gary Walpole, Homeira Faqdani).
Clifton, N. (Recipient), Walpole, G. (Recipient), Faqdani, H. (Recipient) & Liu, Z. (Recipient), 15 Jul 2023
Prize
 Best paper in the Networks and Innovation Track at the 34th ISBE (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship) for “Knowledge Sourcing by Small Firms: The Internationalization of Networks” (with Robert Huggins, 2011).
Clifton, N. (Recipient) & Huggins, R. (Recipient), 8 Nov 2011
Prize