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Are we really making a difference? Lessons from Nesta’s Innovation Lab Presentation by Philip Colligan ThinkFest: Launch of Social Spaces 2014 Hosted by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation Singapore Management University 8 October 2014
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Are we really making a difference?
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• Nesta is the UK’s innovation foundation • We help people and organisations bring great ideas to life • We do this by providing investments and grants and mobilising
research, networks and skills • Independently funded through an endowment provided by
the National Lottery
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• Innovation policy • Government innovation • Inclusive economic growth • Opportunities for young people • Health and ageing • Digital arts and media • Citizen engagement in public
services
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Nesta Innovation Lab • Open innovation and
challenge prizes • Funds and practical support
to innovative ventures • Innovation programmes • Systemic change and
combinations of methods
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Since 2009: • 70 challenges, funds and
programmes • 750 innovations
supported
Currently: • 17 live challenges, funds and
programmes • Actively supporting 144
innovations • Represents £17.8m direct
investment • 54 staff
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Are we really making a difference?
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How to avoid being interesting, but irrelevant?
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The challenge?
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Scaling reach & impact
Policy & systems change
Developing and
spreading models
Strengthening innovation capabilities
Generating useful
knowledge
Creating novel
solutions
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Generating useful knowledge Activities: Research outputs, horizon scanning, insights from practical work, feedback, trials, evaluations Metrics: Reach (downloads, targeted audience), originality, take up of ideas (surveys, anecdotal)
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Creating novel ideas Activities: Challenge prizes, open calls, prototyping, practical programmes, direct commissioning of innovations Metrics: Diversity and volume of solutions generated, novelty and adaptation of previous innovations, plausibility of theories of change, results from prototyping
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Promising innovations reaching and benefiting more people Activities: Grant funds, impact investments Metrics: Innovations reaching and benefiting more people, increased evidence of impact (Standards of Evidence), increased financial sustainability
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Influencing policy and systems change Activities: Practical programmes, policy recommendations, new statistical measures, coalition building, campaigns, influencing and engaging stakeholders Metrics: Policy changes achieved, regulatory and other systems changes, strength of coalitions, changes in behaviour
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Strengthening innovation capabilities and skills Activities: Practical programmes, training, publication of toolkits, practice guides, networks of practitioners Metrics: Reach (downloads, targeted audience), changes to individual and organisational capacities to innovate
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Developing and spreading effective models of innovation Activities: Codification of methods, training, consultancy, publication of toolkits, practice guides, networks of practitioners Metrics: Reach (downloads, targeted audience), adoption of methods
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Scaling reach & impact
Policy & systems change
Developing and
spreading models
Strengthening innovation capabilities
Generating useful
knowledge
Creating novel
solutions
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Category of impact
Examples of activities Examples of metrics
Generating useful knowledge
Research outputs, horizon scanning, insights from
practical work, feedback, trials, evaluations
Reach (downloads, targeted audience),
originality, take up of ideas (surveys, anecdotal)
Creating novel ideas
Challenge prizes, open calls, prototyping, practical
programmes, direct commissioning of innovations
Diversity and volume of solutions generated,
novelty and adaptation of previous innovations,
plausibility of theories of change, results from
prototyping
Promising innovations
reaching and benefiting more
people
Grant funds, impact investments Innovations reaching and benefiting more
people, increased evidence of impact
(Standards of Evidence), increased financial
sustainability
Influencing policy and
systems change
Practical programmes, policy recommendations,
new statistical measures, coalition building,
campaigns, influencing and engaging stakeholders
Policy changes achieved, regulatory and other
systems changes, strength of coalitions, changes
in behaviour
Strengthening innovation
capabilities and skills
Practical programmes, training, publication of
toolkits, practice guides, networks of practitioners
Reach (downloads, targeted audience), changes
to individual and organisational capacities to
innovate
Developing and spreading
effective models of
innovation
Codification of methods, training, consultancy,
publication of toolkits, practice guides, networks of
practitioners
Reach (downloads, targeted audience),
adoption of methods
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Are we really making a difference?
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Thank you www.nesta.org.uk @nesta_uk [email protected] @philipcolligan