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About Nesta

Nesta is a research and innovation foundation. We apply our deep expertise in applied methods to design, test and scale solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time, working across the innovation lifecycle.

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The four shifts reshaping UK society

Exploring the shifts reshaping the UK and the radical ideas needed to navigate them

This collection of essays expands on the themes of Policy Live, a one-day event for policymakers, public servants, civil society leaders, innovators and academics to solve the UK’s biggest challenges.

The programme for Policy Live 2026 explores four shifts reshaping the UK. 

  • How we are governed 
  • How we relate to each other 
  • Our place in the world 
  • The technology that underpins it all 

In an era where fragmented information and global instability can lead to pessimism, navigating these megatrends requires us to look ahead and understand the long-term drivers of change. The UK can thrive in this new context, but we need to collectively dream up creative, practical responses.

These essays are designed to open up debate on what is possible. 

From riding the crest of the AI wave, to tackling the challenge of national pessimism, delivering meaningful devolution and navigating the UK’s place in the world, we explore what choices we need to make today to put the UK on the best possible path to the future.

Policy Live 2026 homepage
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Options for the UK

How the UK can crest the AI wave

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