Have been asked in a very nice email to link to the following information I thought I would just post the press release.
NESTA launches £20m initiative to stimulate innovation
The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) (http://www.nesta.org.uk) is today launching a new £20 million initiative designed to encourage innovative solutions to some of the UK’s most pressing social issues including chronic disease, mental health and climate change.
NESTA’s ‘Innovation Challenges’ (http://www.nesta.org.uk/challenges) will focus on several key themes, starting with Health Innovation and followed by the Environment. Each theme will last for three years during which NESTA will conduct a series of high-impact projects with key partners, designed both to unearth existing ideas, and stimulate new approaches in response to recognised problems.
NESTA lays down first challenge for innovation in health
Focusing on health, the first Challenge aims to identify and develop solutions to issues around chronic disease management, mental health, and ageing. The Challenge programme’s initial partnership projects will see NESTA calling for both social entrepreneurs and front-line workers to come forward with ideas. The first two projects are:
Those with potential ideas can apply online at http://www.nesta.org.uk/challenges and through partner websites.
Each of the Challenges will create a range of opportunities to tackle key issues. These will include seeking and funding ideas from front-line workers or users, providing capital and support to start-up social enterprises, or engaging the general public in a search for a solution to a specific problem.
NESTA is looking for potential partners with sector-specific expertise or a track record in social innovation to help devise, deliver or co-fund projects. These projects will be aimed at stimulating innovation in services as well as in new products and technologies, and will also aim to facilitate practitioner-led, community-led and third sector innovation.
NESTA Chief Executive Jonathan Kestenbaum explains, “The UK faces significant social challenges that are resistant to conventional solutions. Mostly the impetus for addressing these issues is placed on the shoulders of government alone but this isn’t enough – there’s an increasing gap between the scale of the problems and the solutions available. It’s time we empowered people at the grass roots to develop ideas which, with the right support, could have a lasting impact on key social issues”.
Science and Innovation Minister, Malcolm Wicks said, “I welcome NESTA’s efforts to help boost social innovation. It’s vital that we look to as many different areas as possible in our bid for new ideas, so it’s great to see this challenge involving front-line workers and the broader community, who might have creative solutions which have previously gone unheard. We all need to work together to ensure the UK remains a world leader in terms of innovation, science and technology, because it’s these areas which will help secure our economic future.”
For further information about NESTA’s Innovation Challenges, the Health Innovation Accelerator or the Mental Health Call for Proposals, interested parties should go to http://www.nesta.org.uk/challenges or contact the Challenges team on 020 7438 2500 or mailto:challenges@nesta.org.uk.
Dear God, The National Lottery now has its very own pseudo – governmental Quangos these days. I give up.
No one, but no one, will have considered the fact that the noble art of nursing is being remorselessly transformed into rather simplistic flow chart governed formulae. Innovation is no longer welcome in the NHS. Shouldn`t we be addressing this problem by removing the constraints already imposed instead of sowing 20,000,000 quid onto stoney ground.
Shut down the Quango and give the money to the Prince`s Trust, they might do something constructive with it.
Ah oldschool ! I *knew* that would get you going.
Rag, red ? Bull !
£20,000,000…..not a lotta money really, but put it with the £12,000,000 that the London Development Agency plans to spend on helping a satellite get launched then all this waste starts to add up.
I could think of a number of people with mental health problems for whom a few more quid thrown their way would have allowed them to innovatively cope better with their illness – like putting a roof over their heads or knowing where the next meal was coming from.
If the London Development Agency ( is that another Quango ? ) lash Ken Livingstone to their satellite launch I might just view it as money well spent.
Treason, OSB.
Oh Dear, Depending on thrust, gravitational pull, aerodynamics, weight, mass, trajectory and a lot of other factors I don`t understand, I suspect you`ll be gravely upset by who else I plan to tie on.