WICED – Women’s International Centre for Economic Development – was a £5.3m initiative established to boost entrepreneurship and economic participation among women. Both a provider and an innovator of services for women, WICED helps promote economic independence through education and entrepreneurship, empowering women through their personal and social development.
As part of the ongoing WICED programme, we invited a global panel of gender experts to share knowledge and ideas towards our vision. The result of that initiative became our building – 54 St James Street. Today, 54 St James Street is one of the largest dedicated facilities for women’s economic development in the world.
We continue to host an International Research Hub through WICED, bringing together published research, existing knowledge and established best practice to guide our services, shape our policies and influence decision makers at all levels.
Building on the WICED International Research & Panel, our work is further strengthened through deep and sustained collaboration with leading academic networks, research centres, and global communities of practice focused on gender and entrepreneurship.
We actively engage with the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE), alongside the Enterprise Research Centre, ensuring our work is grounded in the latest evidence on SME development and inclusive growth. Our policy influence is strengthened through participation in the Women’s Enterprise Policy Group and the Gender and Entrepreneurship Special Interest Group, connecting research, policy, and practice.
These partnerships are embedded within a global “glocal” community of leading researchers and scholars whose work informs our programmes and thought leadership.
Examples of Global Research Collaborators
- Dr Haya Al-Dajani – Expert in women’s entrepreneurship in conflict and displacement contexts, focusing on empowerment and social change.
- Professor Naomi Birdthistle – Researches entrepreneurship education, family business, and women’s enterprise development.
- Professor Anne de Bruin – Internationally recognised for feminist perspectives on entrepreneurship.
- Dr Carol Ekinsmyth – Focuses on local economies, gender, and alternative enterprise models.
- Professor Patricia Greene ( Emeritus ) – F.W. Olin Distinguished Chair at Babson College and co-founder of the Diana Project on women and venture capital.
- Professor Karen Hughes – Explores gender, work, and economic change, particularly women’s roles in business and society.
- Professor Susan Marlow – Leading authority on gender and entrepreneurship; Editor of the International Small Business Journal.
- Professor Helle Neergaard – Known for qualitative entrepreneurship research and work on networks and internationalisation.
- Professor Julia Rouse – Researches gender, inequality, and enterprise policy.
- Professor Eleanor Shaw – Focuses on entrepreneurial growth, leadership, and gendered enterprise dynamics.
- Dr Jannie Swail – Works on entrepreneurial identity, gender, and lived experience.
- Professor Lorna Traynor – Focuses on inclusive innovation, regional enterprise development, and strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems.
