Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency, has teamed up with Prospect magazine to launch Minister for the Future, a publication of 24 radical ideas to tackle challenges around emerging technologies, social trends and political shifts.

This unique experiment brings together some of the brightest minds in business, technology, science, and academia to pitch their ideas to a hypothetical Minister for the Future. The series is designed to spark debate and inspire long-term thinking amid a wider national and global context of crisis management and short-termism.

• Former Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies pitches the idea of a National Health Bank to invest in preventative health
• Author and activist Cory Doctorow proposes an incentive to get tech monopolies to unwind themselves
• Co-founder of Wahaca and writer Thomasina Miers looks for a regenerative farming revolution to reshape our oil hungry food system
• Director of the London School of Economics Minouche Shafik believes it is time to supercharge support for families and invest in our infrastructure of care
• The American Enterprise Institute’s Elisabeth Braw sets out a vision for a psychological defence agency to “pre bunk” fake news
• UC Berkeley’s Imran Khan says we must shake off our inertia when it comes to the role of psychedelics in the treatment of mental health problems
• The TUC’s Frances O’Grady calls for a new charter of digital rights to protect people who find themselves working for an algorithm
• Chair of the Centre for Climate Repair Professor Sir David King sets out why it’s time to consider radical ideas for climate repair such as refreezing the Arctic

Celia Hannon, Director of Discovery at Nesta said: “If it feels like we are staggering from crisis to crisis, it is not by accident or quirk of the system but because our model of government has an inbuilt bias towards the present. When faced with immediate pressures, policymakers have little incentive to act on longer-term challenges such as food insecurity or how to plan for demographic shifts. To counteract this, we invited world-leading academics, scientists, campaigners and business leaders to pitch radical interventions they believe a future-facing government should adopt.”

Ravi Gurumurthy, CEO of Nesta said: “At Nesta, we are focused on designing and testing long-term solutions to society’s biggest challenges, from net zero to childhood inequality to public health. This collection delves into the wider forces that are set to change our society, economy and environment, each tackled by contributors with deep expertise.”

Minister for the Future is published as part of the December 2022 issue of Prospect magazine and it is available to read on our website.

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For more information or to arrange interviews please contact: Mark Byrne

07745 234 909 | [email protected]

About Nesta

We are Nesta, the UK's innovation agency for social good. We design, test and scale solutions to society's biggest problems. Our three missions are to give every child a fair start, help people live healthy lives, and create a sustainable future where the economy works for both people and the planet.

For over 20 years, we have worked to support, encourage and inspire innovation. We work in three roles: as an innovation partner working with frontline organisations to design and test new solutions, as a venture builder supporting new and early stage businesses, and as a system shaper creating the conditions for innovation.

Harnessing the rigour of science and the creativity of design, we work relentlessly to change millions of lives for the better. Find out more at nesta.org.uk