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

Are we really making a difference?

• 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

• Innovation policy • Government innovation • Inclusive economic growth • Opportunities for young people • Health and ageing • Digital arts and media • Citizen engagement in public

services

Nesta Innovation Lab • Open innovation and

challenge prizes • Funds and practical support

to innovative ventures • Innovation programmes • Systemic change and

combinations of methods

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

Are we really making a difference?

How to avoid being interesting, but irrelevant?

The challenge?

Scaling reach & impact

Policy & systems change

Developing and

spreading models

Strengthening innovation capabilities

Generating useful

knowledge

Creating novel

solutions

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)

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

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

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

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

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

Scaling reach & impact

Policy & systems change

Developing and

spreading models

Strengthening innovation capabilities

Generating useful

knowledge

Creating novel

solutions

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

Are we really making a difference?

Thank you www.nesta.org.uk @nesta_uk philip.colligan@nesta.org.uk @philipcolligan