Edition 29
Welcome to the 29th 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
As tasked in ‘Innovation Nation’, NESTA is developing an Innovation Index. A call for ideas has been launched on a micro site, with a web forum for discussion. Please sign up and contribute at www.innovationindex.org.uk.
Regards,
Richard Halkett - Executive Director, NESTA Policy and Research Unit
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This issue
After a short summer break NESTA ID is pleased to be back and bringing you the latest from the world of innovation. BERR has published a report looking at supporting innovation in services, informed by NESTA research examining five services sectors. DIUS has released a report on the international performance of the UK research base. In the USA, the Federal Courts have ruled in favour of protecting open source software. Back in the UK, NESTA will host a series of events at the forthcoming party conferences, and we have also opened two invitations to tender for research projects. Finally, a reminder that the consultation on the Innovation Index closes on 12 September.
BERR report – Supporting Innovation in Services 28-08-08
Outlines measures to improve the capacity of businesses to innovate across a range of industries covering retail, construction, logistics, internet services and environmental services.
NESTA report – Innovation in Services 28-08-08
Five case studies produced by NESTA to support BERR’s report on innovation in services: Internet Content Services, Logistics Services, Retail report, Environmental Services and International Construction Services.
HM Treasury - £80 million boost for R&D Tax Credits 31-07-08
The R&D Tax Credit will increase by £80 million a year from 1 August, bringing the total tax relief available to around £300 million a year. SME qualification criteria have also been expanded.
National School of Government Sunningdale Institute – Launch of Innovation Hub 31-07-08
Intended to develop know-how on stimulating and supporting innovation in government and the public services. Funding is provided by DIUS, as earmarked in its White Paper ‘Innovation Nation’.
UCL Partners – Launch of Europe’s largest academic health science research partnership, London 07-08-08
Five leading medical research centres and hospitals are coming together to support 3,500 scientists, senior researchers and consultants, with a combined annual turnover of £2bn. Will address ten areas of medical research.
DoH – New biomedical research units 31-07-08
Three new National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Units in Liverpool, London and Nottingham will each receive £3.4 million over the next four years to work on major areas of ill-health and clinical need.
Cabinet Office and HM Treasury – Public services survey: What drives third sector innovation? 12-08-08
Aims to identify what enables third sector providers to deliver innovative public services. Builds upon the report ‘Excellence and Fairness: Achieving world class public services’ published in June 2008. Closes on 08-09-08.
DIUS and DCSF – Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver - Update and Next Steps 30-07-08
Lays out the next steps following the consultation ‘Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver’ and reveals how the new Skills Funding Agency and Young People's Learning Agency will work together.
DIUS, Goodman, UKAEA and STFC – New joint venture at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus 14-08-08
Public-private partnership between the UK Atomic Energy Authority, STFC, and the IP group Goodman. The partnership will run the Oxfordshire campus in a 50:50 joint venture. 5,000 jobs will be created in the science and innovation sector.
CBI – Five-point proposal for science in schools 11-08-08
Recommends automatic opt in to Triple science; improve school buildings and science labs; upgrade careers advice; prioritise science in the timetable; and offer financial incentives, such as STEM student bursaries.
DIUS – Further Education Colleges - Models for Success 11-08-08
Provides a new framework within which the FE sector will work to develop or enhance business and partnership models. Contains case studies and a decision-making toolkit for governors and senior managers.
HEFCE – Launch of a new £200m scheme to increase voluntary giving to HE providers 01-08-08
Under the scheme, eligible gifts to participating institutions will be matched through a fund of £200m. It will run for three years and HEFCE will be supported by a sector-led advisory group.
BBSRC – Public-private partnership to improve UK health research 06-08-08
Three Research Councils and 15 food and drink companies are providing £4m to fund nine research projects to tackle obesity, heart disease, anaemia and other health problems. A second round of projects worth another £3m will be funded in 2009.
DCSF Youth Sector Development Fund – Managing body appointed 07-08-08
Rainer Crime Concern, Business 2 Business, Prime Timers, and ECOTEC will form a consortium that will act as the managing body for the Government’s £100 million Youth Sector Development Fund.
Invest NI – Small businesses benefit from Innovation vouchers 07-08-08
In total, 60 local small businesses have benefited from Innovation Vouchers, worth up to £4,000, to support their innovation capabilities. The initiative is currently closed for applications but will re-open on 1 September, closing again on 30 September.
European Commission – EU appoints governing board of European Institute of Innovation and Technology 30-07-08
Comprises 18 professionals who have dual academic-industrial backgrounds. The Board will hold its inaugural meeting in Budapest on 15-09-08. It will be responsible for strategy-setting and selection of the Knowledge and Innovation Communities.
European Commission – New online pilot project to access EU-funded research results 20-08-08
The pilot project will give unrestricted online access to EU-funded research results, after an embargo period of between 6 and 12 months. Will cover around 20% of the FP7 programme budget in areas such as health, energy, environment, social sciences and ICT.
NESTA and Pact – New tools for convergence in the broadcast industry 14-08-08
Launch of a new series of resources for collaboration between TV and digital producers. The tools include legal templates that make it easy for producers to kick off multi-platform development, as well as a ‘how to’ guide for exploring joint ventures
DIUS report – International comparative performance of the UK research base 31-07-08
Annual comparison of UK research performance against the 25 world leading research economies. The UK has increased its share of published research in the world's most influential scientific journals and offers the best return globally for R&D investment.
Boston Consulting Group survey – Innovation 2008: is the tide turning? 05-08-08
Survey of 3,000 global senior executives finds that 66% consider innovation one of their three most important strategic priorities. 63% intend to increase innovation spending, but only 43% are satisfied with their return on innovation spending.
BVCA and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP – 2007 Full Investment Activity Report 31-07-08
Investment by member firms increased by more than one-third in 2007 (reaching £31.6bn) and that over 60% was invested abroad. Reveals that the UK is the gateway to Europe and the most important centre for the private equity outside the US.
IPPR report – Your Place or Mine? The local economics of migration 26-08-08
Looks at the local economic impacts of migration. Reveals three different ways in which it has a positive effect on local economies: improving the ‘skills mix’ in an area; increasing diversity; and changing the size and productivity of local economies.
Policy Exchange report – Cities Unlimited: Making urban regeneration work 13-08-08
Argues that regeneration efforts in Northern towns have failed. Recommends that regeneration and new homes plans should instead focus on three Southern cities – London, Oxford and Cambridge.
EPSRC and NPL – Establishment of a Post Doctorate Research Partnership 22-08-08
The Strategic Partnership intend to award up to 45, three-year grants for post doctorate researchers to work on projects in areas proposed by NPL.
NESTA Invitation to Tender – Innovation that Matters 26-08-08
NESTA is inviting tenders from researchers for three distinct research project areas: ageing, climate change, and health & wellbeing. The closing date for applications is 12 noon (BST) on 11 September 2008.
NESTA and BVCA Invitation to Tender – Government Interventions – are they changing investor behaviour? 26-08-08
NESTA and BVCA are inviting tenders from organisations with knowledge of the early-stage VC market to look at whether government initiatives in the early-stage capital arena have led to a change in investor behaviour. Closing date is 5pm (BST) on 17-09-08
Young Foundation, Improvement and Development Agency, and LSE's Centre for Economic Performance – Public Wellbeing: Local action making national change, London 09-09-08
Will showcase the work of the Local Wellbeing Project, which tested out ways of improving public wellbeing in Hertfordshire, Manchester and South Tyneside. Speakers include Rt Hon James Purnell, Lucy De Groot, Geoff Mulgan, and Lord Richard Layard.
Ninth Cambridge Enterprise Conference – Put a tiger in the tank? - Innovative strategies for the knowledge economy, Churchill College, Cambridge 17-09-08
Aimed at encouraging enterprise and helping new and innovative businesses to be successful. Panel of experts including entrepreneurs, academics, advisors and policymakers. Keynote address by Professor Sir David King.
The Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research and The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth – 4th Global Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Sweden 16 to 18-09-08
International policymakers, entrepreneurs, and academics will discuss entrepreneurship policymaking, growth, and innovation.
Library House - Essential Cleantech 2008 25-09-08
Will discuss the state of play in clean technology. Themes are the business of cleantech, consumption and efficiency, future generation and future generation.
NESTA – Youth-led innovation in a digital world, London 30-09-08
Geoff Goodwin, Head of BBC Switch, Lizzie Jackson, an academic at Westminster, and Matt Locke, Commissioning Editor for Education at Channel 4, will discuss the role that youth-led innovation can play in shaping digital content aimed at young people.
Technology Strategy Board conference – Innovate '08, London 07-10-08
Exhibition and conference with keynote speeches from Tom Ilube, Garlik; Richard Farleigh, Dragons' Den; and Iain Gray, Technology Strategy Board Chief Executive.
NESTA at the Labour Party conference - Closing the equity gap: how are we going to fund the high-growth start-ups of the future? 22-09-08
With the Smith Institute, speakers include John McFall MP, Simon Walker CEO BVCA and Jonathan Kestenbaum CEO NESTA.
NESTA at the Labour Party conference - Improving skills: economic or social imperative? 23-09-08
Speakers include Rt Hon John Denham MP, Jonathan Kestenbaum CEO NESTA, Sasha Callaghan President UCU, Polly Curtis Education Editor, Guardian.
NESTA at the Labour Party conference - Making creative Britain accessible to all 23-09-08
Speakers include Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP and Mark Thompson, Director-General, BBC.
NESTA at the Conservative Party conference - The video game: friend or foe? 28-09-08
Speakers include Ed Vaizey MP, Ian Livingstone Eidos, Tom Hoggins Daily Telegraph, John Carr Children’s Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety, and Jonathan Kestenbaum CEO NESTA.
NESTA at the Conservative Party conference - Innovation: the answer to an economic downturn? 29-09-08
Speakers include Adam Afriyie MP, Irwin Stelzer Hudson Institute and Sunday Times), and Jonathan Kestenbaum CEO NESTA
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit – New ruling protecting the use of open source software 13-08-08
The Court held that free licenses – such as the Creative Commons licenses – set conditions (rather than covenants) on the use of copyrighted work. This allows public licenses users to seek relief for alleged copyright infringement.
Pro Inno Europe – Launch of the EUR190m 'Made in Italy' project 06-08-08
Aims to coordinate the activities of large-scale public and private enterprises, industrial and technological districts and the world of research and innovation to increase industry competitiveness. EUR25m will be devoted to SMEs.
CO-REACH – Call for proposals: social science collaborative research between Europe and China 20-08-08
Aims to bring together Chinese and European researchers, working in the social sciences and humanities, to collaborate on a joint topic of mutual interest. Full proposal submission deadline 10-12-08