Collaborative innovation

NESTA Connect is underpinned by the core belief that collaboration = innovation. In other words:

• successful innovation is fundamentally collaborative;
• different perspectives make problem solving easier; and
• good ideas are easy; productive relationships are harder.

We’re campaigning for more space, licence and opportunity to collaborate and exchange ideas across silos, organisations, sectors and disciplines. Our work is grouped into three main strands of investigation:

Web Connect – creating powerful networks using the web.

Corporate Connect - creating new commercial opportunities by encouraging companies and individuals to work more openly and collaboratively.

Knowledge Connect – creating new knowledge and ideas by bringing people from different disciplines together.

Collaboration is the key to solving global challenges

We think our public and private institutions have become over-specialised and siloed, leading only to incremental improvements in productivity. This narrow approach is inadequate in dealing with the big global challenges, which we think require collaborative solutions.

Access to information is getting easier. But that means organisations can no longer compete on the basis of their knowledge. Instead, trusted relationships will be increasingly critical to successful innovation.

We believe our governments, businesses and universities need to be more democratic, collaborative and open to exploring new ideas outside of their usual networks.

Help us spread the word

We’re looking for people who share our vision, to help us shape our activities and spark large-scale change. People like you. Our door is always open, so come and chat to us about how you think we could achieve our mission.

In the meantime, read more about our projects by clicking on the links above, come to our events or tell your friends and help to spread the word.