The research, to be carried out by the Open University Business School, is due to be published in Summer 2007 and will examine a range of issues, including the resources and services currently being used by social enterprises and existing gaps in support.

The Governance Hub said that while there are at least 55,000 UK-based social enterprises with a combined turnover of £27bn per year, there is not a robust evidence base concerning the governance issues which affect it.

Chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, Jonathan Bland, said: “Good governance is extremely important for social enterprise and as the sector goes from strength to strength this will help us ensure that we know exactly where our specific strengths and challenges lie.”

For the most recent Charity Times feature looking at social enterprise in detail, visit:

www.charitytimes.com/pages/ct_features/jan-feb07/text_features/ct_jan-
feb07_feature4_enterprising_solutions.htm