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.

Nesta in Scotland

In A fairer start

In A healthy life

In A sustainable future

Nesta in Scotland

The Nesta in Scotland team exists to deliver against Nesta’s strategic aims in Scotland.

Nesta’s strategy to 2030 sets out three innovation missions to guide and inform our work across the nations of the UK over the next five years:

A fairer start: By 2030, we want every child to have the same chance of developing to their full potential in the early years.
A healthy life: We want to halve the prevalence of obesity in the UK by 2030.
A sustainable future: We want to reduce home carbon emissions in the UK by 30% by 2030.

Mapping the evidence

The next Scottish Parliament is a crucial time for Scotland and for each of Nesta’s missions. Policy decisions made over the next five years could significantly improve the lives of millions of people.

We've collated public data into accessible maps to visualise the key metrics most relevant to our mission areas. Explore the numbers that inform our policy asks below.

Visualising Scotland

View the data maps

Our approach

We support work across these three mission areas by applying our expertise in applied methods to design, test and scale solutions across the innovation lifecycle.

We also go broad, leveraging Nesta’s expertise to develop and promote ideas that enable progress on our missions, supporting governments to deliver better and more effectively. All our work aims to bridge the policy-delivery divide and close the implementation gap.

A fairer start

How Nesta is working on the fairer start mission in Scotland

A healthy life

How Nesta is working on the healthy life mission in Scotland

A sustainable future

How Nesta is working on the sustainable future mission in Scotland

Visualising Scotland

We have developed a series of data maps that visualise key metrics most relevant to our mission areas.

View the data maps

Browse content from Nesta Scotland

Angela Mitchell

Head of Nesta Scotland

Linda Macdonald

Mission manager (Scotland), fairer start mission

Frances Bain

Mission manager (Scotland), healthy life mission

Robin Parker

Mission manager (Scotland), sustainable future mission

Fiona McFarlane

Policy advisor, Nesta Scotland

Josh Jackson

Analyst, sustainable future mission

Genna Barnett

Senior programme manager, data science practice

Robert Harris

Group publications manager

We extend our impact through two specialised units that help people and organisations to solve complex problems and achieve their goals.

BIT

BIT helps clients from government, nonprofits and the private sector to improve people’s lives through our empirical problem solving and deep understanding of human behaviour.

Challenge Works

Challenge Works designs and runs challenge prizes to spark innovation in science, technology and society.

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Nesta in Scotland

About Nesta

Nesta in Scotland

Nesta in Scotland