Dr Maria Granados
Maria is a Reader in Social Innovation, a researcher, a knowledge manager and a social enterprise consultant with a wealth of experience in the private, social economy, and academic sectors. She began her career as a knowledge management practitioner and also consulted with private sector and social economy organizations in Colombia. She then moved to the UK and started her academic career as a researcher in social enterprises, social innovation, knowledge management, informal entrepreneurship, marginalised social groups, and sustainability.
Education
Maria is a social impact and community-engaged scholar who believes in conducting research that makes a difference by driving forward businesses and societal transformation. Her research is focused on social innovation, social enterprises/entrepreneurship, and barefoot entrepreneurship. Maria aims to promote innovative entrepreneurial inclusion of marginalized and peripheral communities through her work.
Maria co-leads the Research Centre on Peripheral Populations and has projects in Brazil, Colombia, and the UK. Her research explores social enterprises, social innovations, community-based enterprises, barefoot and informal entrepreneurship, waste pickers, economically marginalized migrants, and circular/spiral economy and society.
Grants awarded:
2025: Maria Granados (PI), Ainurul Rosly, Ryan Wang, (£9,992) "TRANSFORM: Transitioning SMEs to sustainability through natural capital and social value frameworks" British Academy Pump Priming Collaboration between UK and EU Partners 2025
2024: Lilian Miles, Maria Granados, Dipanker Sengupta, Teddy Seyoum, Manal Mohammed and Petros Karatsareas, (£160,000) “Developing data driven health intervention models to reduce UK urban refugee health inequality” The Institute of Healthy Urban Living, University of Westminster.
2022: Maria Granados, Lilian Miles, Anastasia Alexeeva, Vincent Rich, (£4,926) "Developing a Gender Empowerment guide for Social Enterprises in the UK through participatory research". Research England, Participatory Research Fund, UoW. The guide is available here: Gender Empowerment Guide for Social Enterprises in the UK
2022: Lilian Miles, Maria Granados and Tim Freeman (£8148) "Improving local government resettlement planning to support the social integration of Syrian refugees in London" University of Westminster, Strategic Priorities Fund.
2020: Maria Granados (£3,195) "What about the migrants: impact of COVID in Venezuelan migrants in Colombia". UoW Research Communities COVID-19 Funding Call.
2019: Maria Granados, Ainurul Rosli and Mato Gots, (£9,287) "Barefoot entrepreneurs: Struggles of waste pickers in the Colombian informal economy". British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grants.
2019: Maria Granados (£5,540) "Effective Entrepreneurship amongst the waste pickers in Cali, Colombia". Global Challenges Research Fund – UoW.
Recently, Maria received certification in SDG Impact Standards for Enterprise Training and Social Value and SROI Practitioner Training.
PhD supervision interest:
Maria welcomes the opportunity to work with PhD students from various backgrounds and disciplines who want to embark on a PhD. She would especially encourage applicants to use a critical theoretical framework and innovative research approaches.
PhD Supervision Completions:
