Edition 23
Welcome to the 23rd edition of NESTA Innovation Digest (ID). NESTA ID is intended to provide fortnightly information and links on the latest news from the world of innovation policy and research and news of international issues and events.
We're sifting news and updates from dozens of websites and bulletins for each edition of ID. We're keen to know how we could improve this service, or perhaps you have suggestions for inclusion - please email digest@enews.nesta.org.uk
Regards,
Richard Halkett - Executive Director, NESTA Policy and Research Unit
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This issue
It has been a busy period in the run up to Parliamentary recess (May 22nd). The Technology Strategy Board has published its corporate strategy, ‘Connect and Catalyse’. Doug Richard has released his Review of Small Business for the Conservative Party and DEFRA has launched a report on unlocking innovation that can help build a low carbon economy. The Scottish Government has unveiled a new plan for engagement with China and Universities UK, the UK Higher Education International Unit and Technopolis have published a report on international research collaboration.
Policy
Government’s Draft Legislative Programme 2008/09 12-05-08
Plans include an NHS Reform Bill and Constitution, an independent schools qualification system and an increase in apprenticeships, measures on continuing professional development and new tests for permanent residence or British citizenship.
TSB - Publication of strategic plan ‘Connect and Catalyse’ 08-05-08
Three mains areas - challenge-led innovation, technology-inspired innovation and the innovation climate. Together with partners will invest over £1bn during the next three years, intending to generate a further £1bn private sector investment.
Conservative Party - The Richard Review of Small Business 13-05-08
Recommends a single national web-based Business Information System, a minister for small business and enterprise, improving access to finance for SMEs, helping small businesses secure more Government contracts and reform of enterprise education.
BERR – new Chief Scientific Adviser 12-05-08
Professor Brian Collins has been appointed to provide scientific advice to the Secretary of State, Ministers and the Management Board. Professor Collins is also CSA to the Department for Transport.
DEFRA report - Building a low carbon economy: unlocking environmental innovation and skills 01-05-08
Response to the CEMEP 2007 report, the Government has identified four main prerequisites for building a low carbon economy: a long-term policy framework, pro innovation policies, developing skills and partnerships building.
DIUS – Launch of three new National Skills Academies 07-05-08
As part of the expansion of the National Skills Academy network, creation of three new Academies: Sport and Active Leisure, Creative and Cultural and Hospitality. Aim to solve skills shortages in these sectors and reach 400,000 learners over five years.
Public Administration Select Committee report – User Involvement in Public Services 07-05-08
Considers various forms of user involvement in public services and explore potential implications. Highlights a need for rigorous evaluation, and for making sure that public service workers are equipped to deal with the changes.
Home Office – New rules for skilled foreign workers 06-05-08
Proposals for a points-based system for highly skilled foreign workers intending to enter the UK labour market. Replaces the work permit system. UK companies will have to prove they cannot fill posts with a UK worker, and have advertised the vacancy.
Our NHS, our future review team report - Leading Local Change 08-05-08
Five pledges to the public and staff on how the NHS will handle changes to services. Sets out a process requiring change to be transparent, clinically evidenced, locally led and for the benefit of patients. Lord Darzi’s final report is due in June.
DoH – Launch of the second round of the Social Enterprise Investment Fund 06-05-08
Intended to stimulate the sector in the delivery of health and social care services, through start-up funding, loans, grants and longer-term investments. A new 'Innovation for Life Challenge Fund' aims to develop collaborative working across the sector.
Office of the Third Sector - Plan for standard measure of social return on investment 06-05-08
Will bring together the public sector, independent investors and social enterprises to agree a standard methodology for SROI measurement that places a financial value on social benefit.
DIUS – Further education colleges can apply for powers to award their own foundation degrees 06-05-08
Further education institutions in England can now apply for powers to award their own Foundation degrees under new regulations that came into force on 1 May. The aim is to have 100,000 Foundation degree students by 2010.
ESRC, RCUK, IoP, DCSF and the Gatsby Foundation - £3m investment in science and mathematics education 12-05-08
To find new ways to encourage young people into STEM studies and careers £3m is to be invested in five projects: 2 from Kings College; the Institute of Education; the University of Leeds and the University of Cambridge.
BBSRC – Collaboration with France in Systems Biology 08-05-08
BBSRC and the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche are collaborating to fund 10 new projects in Systems Biology worth £6.5m. The projects involve 22 different universities and institutes in the UK and France. BBSRC has provided £4.85m.
Members appointed to Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property 02-05-08
Dame Lynne Brindley CEO British Library; Dr Cathy Garner CEO Manchester Knowledge Capital; Professor John Pickering; Dr Jonathan Spencer and Iain Wilcock, Founder Quester Capital will provide strategic advice on IP issues to Ministers.
Scottish Government – Launch of a new China Plan 07-05-08
Sets out Scotland's aims for its long-term engagement with China in the fields of business, education, science, culture and tourism.
Scottish Government – £10m life sciences institute, Dundee 07-05-08
The planned Scottish Institute for Cell Signalling is intended to position Scotland as an international leader in the biotechnology field. Priorities include: recruiting world-class scientists, training, drug discovery and translational research.
Scottish Government – £1.5m fund to support the development of Scotland's international lifelong learning strategy 04-05-08
Scotland's international lifelong learning strategy 04-05-08 Universities, colleges and other organisations are being invited to bid for a share of the funding (£500,000 a year over three years) which will be provided on a match-funding basis. Aim to increase engagement in international markets and education.
Welsh Assembly Government – Launch of the Start Up project 13-05-08
Will provide £36m to support Welsh entrepreneurs. Expected to support the development of over 8,000 new businesses across Wales.
Welsh Assembly Government consultation – Delivering Skills that Work for Wales: Reducing the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training in Wales 12-05-08
Consultation is based on three strands of activity: efficient processes for re-engaging young people; enhanced education provision; and more targeted learning and personal support. The draft Skills and Employment Strategy will be finalised this summer.
Welsh Assembly Government - £1.3m funding toward social economy 06-05-08
Intended to create more development trusts, more social firms, a community based loans facility for social enterprises and to support sectoral training and research. Funds are to be allocated to four organisations over the next three years.
ESRC and DETINI report – Sub-sectoral Productivity in Northern Ireland 13-05-08
Considers the reasons underlying poor productivity performance and identifies the sectors with specific productivity issues: agriculture, construction, wholesale distribution, financial and business services, transport, and health and social services.
European Commission – Communication to promote the use of ICT to improve energy efficiency throughout the economy 13-05-08
Adopted a Communication to promote the use of ICT to improve energy efficiency and to encourage the ICT industry to demonstrate leadership in reducing its own CO2 emissions and by identifying and creating solutions that will benefit the whole economy.
The Prince's Trust Campaign for Youth Enterprise 08-05-08
Campaign to get more young people into business. An accompanying survey of 1,000 16 to 30 year-olds reports that two in five young people would like to start a business, but less than 6% have actually done it.
Research
UUK, UK HEIU and Technopolis report - International research collaboration: opportunities for the UK higher education sector 08-05-08
Reviews trends, examines competitor countries’ policies and UK universities’ management of international research collaboration. Finds UK scientists are engaged in 50% more international collaborations than 10 years ago.
Demos pamphlet – The Talking Cure: why conversation is the future of healthcare 14-05-08
Argues that improving the quality of conversations between patients, professionals and the public is central to innovation in the UK’s healthcare sector.
ESRC and London Metropolitan University report - Mathematical images and identities: education, entertainment, social justice 12-05-08
Argues that students are put off studying or working in mathematics fields because of perceptions of mathematicians as geeky, old, white, middle-class men who are obsessed with their subject, lack social skills and have no personal life outside maths.
UHY Hacker Young - Survey of small business growth in the UK’s 50 largest towns and cities 01-05-08
Accounting group reveals Bournemouth tops the league, followed by Milton Keynes, Northampton and London in joint second place. 44% of places are seeing a decline or a zero growth in the number of new businesses.
Events
ISPIM 2008 Conference - Open innovation: creating products and services through collaboration, France 15 to 18-06-08
Conference on open innovation will bring together academics, business leaders, consultants and other professionals involved in innovation management.
OECD Ministerial Meeting - The Future of the Internet Economy, Korea 17 to 18-06-08
Will discuss social, economic and technological trends shaping the development of the Internet Economy under three main areas: convergence, creativity and confidence. 40 Ministers have confirmed they will attend.
The Confederation of Indian Industry - Fourth India innovation summit 2008, Bangalore 20 to 21-06-08
Under the theme ‘innovation in the 21st Century’, will explore opportunities and challenges in emerging markets, services innovation, competition, rural innovation and public and private sector innovation.
NESTA and GLE - London EASY summit: Financing innovation through cross-border collaboration 26-06-08
Will discuss creating a policy framework to stimulate cross border investment in early stage businesses. Speakers include Per Ove Engelbrecht, Innovation Policy EC; Anthony Clarke, MD GLEGC & President EBAN; and Prof Jorma Routti, ex President SITRA.
UK Research Office - Annual Conference 2008, Loughborough 26 to 27-06-08
Intended for European Liaison Officers, European research managers, Research Councils and policy makers. A forum for discussion on a range of EU policies and funding opportunities.
Innovating Regions in Europe (IRE) – Innovation governance: Enhancing interaction in the regional innovation system, France 05 to 06-06-08
Will explore policy challenges related to the globalisation of regional clusters and innovation systems, and the need for closer cooperation between the public and the private sector.
British Association for the Advancement of Science - 2008 science communication conference 19 to 20-05-08
Will discuss issues facing science communicators in the UK, including how to inspire, education and media relations. Speakers include Lord Melvyn Bragg and Ian Pearson MP.
CBI – Annual Dinner 2008 20-05-08
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, will make a keynote address on issues of government-business relations, including debate on capital gains tax, ‘non-doms’ and the response to the credit crunch.
5th Annual MIT Sloan CIO Symposium, Massachusetts 21-05-08
CIOs, CTOs, and senior technology executives will discuss issues around ‘Balancing Innovation and Cost Leadership in Your Firm’. Speakers include Professor McAfee, Harvard Business School; Marc Gordon, CIO Bank of America and Molly O’Neill, CIO US EPA.
Cambridge-MIT Institute - Workshop on Open Innovation, Cambridge 22 to 23-05-08
Bringing together young scholars from different disciplines to improve knowledge exchange, explore the concept of open innovation, and provide a platform for future shared research projects in the area of innovation.
Growth Strategies 2008 23-05-08
Will address business growth: acquisitions, the threats and opportunities from Europe, funding growth and managing growth. Speakers include Doug Richard, Chairman of Library House, Colonel Tim Collins and Declan Curry, BBC business presenter.
NESTA – The Innovation Edge, Royal Festival Hall 20-05-08
Will bring together experts from industry, culture, politics and academia. Speakers include Sir Bob Geldof, Lord Puttnam, Helen Alexander, Michael Birch and urban artist 'Inkie'. There will be eight expert seminars in the afternoon.
International
OECD, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce Workshop - High growth SMEs, innovation and intellectual assets: strategic issues and policies 08-05-08
Twenty experts from around the world presented their recommendations on how policymakers can encourage entrepreneurship and the fast growth of innovative small firms. Contributions will feed into the OECD Innovation Strategy.