I joined Norwich Business School in 2009 as a Lecturer and was promoted to an Associate Professor in 2011 and to a Professor of Entrepreneurship in 2021. Since 2023 I have served as the NBS Director of Research.

I moved to UEA from the University of Edinburgh Business School where I had held the prestigious five-year George David Research Fellowship in family business and social change. Prior to this fellowship, I conducted EU-funded research on the territorial impact of the CAP and Rural Development Policy (ESPON Project 2.1.3) and the role of rural entrepreneurship in responding to employment problems in Cumbria, England (FERP Project). I have previously carried out ESRC-funded research as a sole investigator on Scottish family business networks whilst more recently led the academic evaluation of a five-year £10.8M Interreg England (Channel) France programme on social innovation that aimed to enhance lives through enterprise in housing association neighbourhoods (Increase VS Project, 2018-2023). My academic background is interdisciplinary and includes a PhD in Socio-Economics from the University of Manchester, an MSc in Agricultural Development and Rural Finance from the University of Bradford and a BA in Sociology from Panteion University (Athens, Greece). All my postgraduate studies were fully funded by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY).

Maternity Leave 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Current research interests focus on social innovation and rural, family and institutional entrepreneurship issues. My research approach is under the influence of economic sociology and integrates the broader forces for change with the responses of actors and businesses set in their particular local and regional contexts.

I have also led the academic evaluation of a major £10.8M EU project (co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund) that aimed to boost enterprise training and job opportunities for thousands of social housing residents in England and France. Increase Valorisation Sociale ('social value' in French) was a partnership between the University of East Anglia (UEA) and nine housing associations and training providers. This Interreg France (Channel) England Programme was being led by Southern Housing, one of the largest housing associations in England and helped 5,300 people through entrepreneurship training, supporting 2000 of those into employment or education and the creation of up to 1200 new businesses. The five year programme (2018-2023) supported residents in 38 neighbourhoods facing barriers such as single parenting, disability, multi-generational benefit dependency, high rates of poverty and low job opportunities. The areas involved were in the South and East Coasts of England  from Hampshire to Norfolk and the North Coast of France from Finistere to Pas-De-Calais (see https://www.channelmanche.com/en/projects/approved-projects/increase-valorisation-sociale/ or Increase VS (southernhousing.org.uk).  Through this project I was also a finalist for the 2020 UEA Innovation and Impact Award (see related video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43pDJzzInCU&list=PLYoESIVAyH-1BXcxd-Nd5fRK5AaT01Qmn&index=13&t=0s) and the winner of the 2020 UEA Engagement Award (see https://www.uea.ac.uk/community-university-engagement/awards. An output from this applied research project has been nominated for the 'Best Empirical Paper Award' at the 2024 US Academy of Management Conference, Entrepreneurship Division. The full list of research outputs can be found at: Increase Valorisation Sociale - Groups and Centres (uea.ac.uk)

I previously led and carried out as a Sole Investigator a 30-month ESRC grant (2008-2012; approx £104,000) that explores patron-client relationships and performance in Scottish family businesses (www.esrc.ac.uk/search/search-page.aspx?q=Dr+Zografia+Bika). A research output resulting from this study won the 2018 US Academy of Management Conference 'Best Family Business Paper Award', Entrepreneurship Division (see https://ent.aom.org/awards) and another one won the 2020 US Family Firm Institute 'Best Unpublished Research Paper Award' (see https://www.ffi.org/awards/best-unpublished-research-paper). 

I tweet semi-regularly from @zografiabika

For bibliometrics of my work see http://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=AeNtOOUAAAAJ&hl=en

I am currently supervising 4 PhD students and I am interested in receiving applications from prospective PhD students in the areas of family, institutional and rural entrepreneurship, social innovation and business relationships.

I am currently the MRes Business Management Course Leader (see http://www.uea.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-degree/detail/mres-social-sciences-research-methods)

I also teach on the following modules: 

* NBS-7029B Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (MSc)

* NBS-7072Y Business Research Methods (PGR)

* NBS-3M4Y Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management (UG)

In 2010 I was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching from the University of Edinburgh, in 2011 I became a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and in 2020 I achieved the status of Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in recognition of attainment against the UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and learning support in higher education.

In 2007 I participated in the Universitas 21 Summer School, held at the University of Virginia, USA (under the sponsorship of the University of Edinburgh) - the program was designed for junior professors in the early stages of their careers wishing to further improve their teaching skills.

My ESRC funded research (2008-2012) promoted a partnership approach with family business associations, culminating in a joint public event with the Scottish Family Business Association (www.sfba.co.uk) at the University of Edinburgh Business School (June 2012). In 2014 I also became an invited member of the UK Institute for Family Business Research Foundation Academic Advisory Council (www.ifb.org.uk). In 2020 I received the US Family Firm Institute Best Unpublished Research Paper Award that was presented at the FFI Global Conference https://digital.ffi.org/ffi-global-conference/ that is especially designed for practitioners. In 2023 I joined the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) Fellowship and became part of a global community that is committed to social change.

Entrepreneurship; Family Business; Regional Development.