03/02/2010
'We've seen how moving public services online can contribute to providing more efficient services. With these programmes we aim to take this a step further and deliver the next generation of public services which are focussed on collaboration and effectiveness.'
As part of its 'Reboot Britain' programme, The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) is today launching a series of cutting-edge new projects that will explore innovative ways in which collaborative web technologies can be applied to some of society's biggest social challenges.
The experimental programmes will explore how web technologies, with their focus on collaboration, self-organisation, openness and sharing of knowledge, allow people to engage and interact more easily with public service providers and have more of a say in the design and delivery of services. The aim is to cut bureaucracy, increase response times and demonstrate new solutions to public service delivery which complement traditional approaches.
Jonathan Kestenbaum, Chief Executive of NESTA, says: 'Traditional approaches to dealing with society's most critical issues are no longer enough in the light of increasing constraints on the public purse and rising expectations. We must look to new, innovative methods to tackle these issues and seize the potential of collaborative web technologies to develop innovative solutions which are more effective and cheaper.'
The programmes will explore how collaborative web technologies can:
Each of these has been identified as an area which is socially important, costly to support, an area of high anxiety for the public and where traditional interventions have been unable to offer a complete solution. Each project will be tested in partnership with those who run traditional services in a live environment.
Jonathan Kestenbaum adds: 'We've seen how moving public services online can contribute to providing more efficient services. With these programmes we aim to take this a step further and deliver the next generation of public services which are focussed on collaboration and effectiveness.'
The first project to launch, 'Jailbrake', aims to find ways to use simple web and mobile tools to help slow down or stop the cycle of re-offending by the hundred thousand 15-17 year olds who get caught up in the criminal justice system each year.
The call for ideas - such as websites, systems that rely on text messages or social networks - is now open and the closing date for ideas is 26th February 2010. Ideas are welcomed from anyone with an interest in this area, whether part of a youth offending team, a service user, police officer, a member of a local community or software developers, designers and funders who can help turn those ideas into real projects.
For further information and to enter an idea online visit: www.jailbrake.org.
For further information please contact Jan Singleton on 020 7438 2606/ jan.singleton@nesta.org.uk or Catherine Anderson on 0207 438 2609/ Catherine.Anderson@nesta.org.uk
For more information on how to enter ideas for Jailbrake please visit www.jailbrake.org or contact Katherine@sicamp.org
About NESTA
NESTA is the largest independent endowment in the UK. Its mission is to support innovation to drive economic recovery and solve some of the UK's major social challenges. NESTA is a world leader in its field and promotes innovation through a blend of practical programmes, policy and research and investment in early-stage companies.
About Reboot Britain
Reboot Britain is part of NESTAs Public Services Innovation Lab. It aims to identify ways in which technology can aid moving towards a model of 'people-powered public services'. Further information about each project, including how to get involved, will be available at www.nesta.org.uk/ as the projects develop.
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Nesta Operating Company, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7706036 and charity number 1144091. Registered as a charity in Scotland number SC042833.
