About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

Nesta Standards of Evidence

This paper provides an overview of the Nesta Standards of Evidence, an approach used to measure the impact of a range of our practical innovation programmes and investments.

This paper provides an overview of the Nesta Standards of Evidence, an approach used to measure the impact of a range of our practical innovation programmes and investments.

Key findings:

  • The objective of developing Standards of Evidence is to help determine how confident we can be that an intervention is having a positive impact.
  • This report outlines how the Nesta Standards of Evidence were developed, and how they are now being used across Nesta.
  • The Nesta Standards of Evidence is an approach used to measure the impact of a range of our practical innovation programmes and investments.

We originally applied and embedded the Standards of Evidence in Nesta Impact Investments.

The Standards of Evidence are now being used more widely across Nesta, such as in The Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund.

There are three overlapping potential uses of the Standards of Evidence framework at Nesta:

1. To assess the evidence behind programmes, products and services to see where they are currently placed on the Standards of Evidence, enabling us to understand how confident we can be in their claims.

2. To help structure the evaluation strategy to continue building the evidence behind the intervention and to move up the levels.

3. To help determine future funding decisions.

Authors:

Ruth Puttick and Joe Ludlow

Authors

Joe Ludlow

Joe Ludlow

Joe Ludlow

Director, Impact Investment

Joe lead Nesta Impact Investments, a £17.6m investment fund for innovative social ventures in the fields of ageing, young people and sustainability.  Joe is a board member of Bethnal G…

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Ruth Puttick

Ruth Puttick

Ruth Puttick

Principal Researcher - Public and Social Innovation

Ruth was Principal Researcher for public and social innovation. Ruth joined the Nesta policy and research team in 2009, working on a range of projects across innovation, investment and…

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