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.

A Fairer Start Local: how to support early years innovation in local authorities - 24 Apr 2025 12:00 – 13:30

In 2021 Nesta launched A Fairer Start Local: a long-term innovation partnership with three local authorities to develop, design and test ideas for how innovation could transform early years services. Four years on, we’re sharing learnings and outcomes from the partnership at a special end of programme event.

Join us on Thursday 24 April from 12:00-13:30 to hear from those who delivered the programme – from Nesta analysts and designers to early years leaders and practitioners in local authorities. We’ll share how Nesta and three local authorities worked together to improve outcomes for children in Stockport and Greater Manchester, Leeds and York.

Why you should attend

In this interactive online session, we’ll explore insights and learnings from our innovation partnership, exploring how Nesta and local authorities worked together to deliver innovation in the early years to help children thrive: from adopting a test-and-learn approach, to co-designing with parents and practitioners, and enhancing the use of early years data.

This lunchtime session is ideal for anyone interested in innovation for local services, especially in the early years. Whether you’re a policymaker, practitioner, funder or local authority leader, you’ll gain insights into the challenges and opportunities of leading, funding and scaling place-based innovation. We’ll share what worked to build more effective early years services and our lessons on how to collaborate for effective innovation.

Register to attend to receive event details, reminders and joining links straight to your inbox.

Speakers to be announced shortly.