Entrepreneur Research — Determining local metrics that matter to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs

If developing countries are to succeed in becoming resilient to risks from global forces shaping our world, then innovation must come from entrepreneurs. What information do these entrepreneurs need? What barriers prevent them from investing? These are crucial questions to ask as the losses from decreasing water supplies, shifting agricultural patterns, larger coastal populations at risk from flooding and disrupted energy systems assume greater priority. We know that climate variability, population shifts, urbanization and other "global forces" are impacting our world. The Global Adaptation Institute (GAIN) is the first international organization devoted solely to helping the world adapt to these global challenges by galvanizing the power of the private sector. With the support of the Templeton Foundation, we will seek to identify the opportunities and risks small to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries face in light of these global forces. GAIN and its partners will carry out surveys, create a guideline and host a workshop to further global knowledge on the importance of SME innovation. This project will also help the Institute improve our own global adaptation index (GAIN Index), which is the first index to measure countries' adaptation vulnerabilities as well as their capacity to invest in strengthening resilience to global forces. Just as leading businesses, think tanks, academic institutions and government leaders have welcomed the GAIN Index, these decision makers will consider more granular information key to further adaptation goals. This project will be the first known attempt to concretely measure conditions that foster SME growth in the sectors most important to building resiliency to global forces.