As part of the Work Foundation’s Autumn Event Series in partnership with the Centre for Productivity and Efficiency at Lancaster University Management School, Kostas Selviaridis convened the event "Stimulating innovation through public procurement: The role of the Small Business Research Initative (SBRI). David Connell, Richard Kirk and Dr Kostas Selviaridis critically examined the role and effectiveness of the SBRI. Providing insights into the current state of SBRI implementation across the UK public sector, key achievements, and related challenges facing SMEs and public organisations the speakers pointed out improvements to unleash the full potential of the SBRI. This event is linked to Kostas' ongoing research projects in the area of innovation-oriented public procurement.