Presentation by Philip Colligan, an Executive Director of Nesta's Innovation Lab, given on 8 October at the launch of Social Spaces 2014. The launch was part of ThinkFest - an event hosted by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at Singapore Management University.

1. 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

2. Are we really making a difference?

3. •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

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

5. Nesta Innovation Lab
•Open innovation and challenge prizes
•Funds and practical support to innovative ventures
•Innovation programmes
•Systemic change and combinations of methods

6. 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

7. Are we really making a difference?

8. How to avoid being interesting, but irrelevant?

9. The challenge?

10. Scaling reach & impact
Policy & systems change
Developing and spreading models
Strengthening innovation capabilities
Generating useful knowledge
Creating novel solutions

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Scaling reach & impact
Policy & systems change
Developing and spreading models
Strengthening innovation capabilities
Generating useful knowledge
Creating novel solutions

19. 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

20. Are we really making a difference?

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