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.

We are researching and pioneering new ways of thinking about regulating innovation and showing what it means in practice.

Why are we doing this?

Traditional ways of regulating are not able to keep pace with technological disruption, shifting sectoral boundaries, new types of problems and the opportunities innovation can bring. Fast moving innovation in technologies like drones, blockchain or artificial intelligence (AI) bring big opportunities, but also carry risks for society. At the same time, more mature regulated markets, such as finance and energy, are not delivering the competition and innovation that customers and the economy need.


What are we doing?

In response to this, Nesta has been working to develop a new theory and practice around regulation which we call ‘anticipatory regulation’.

This anticipatory approach emphasises flexibility, collaboration and innovation and is built on six principles which in many ways contrast with traditional regulatory practice:

  • Inclusive and collaborative
  • Future-facing
  • Proactive
  • Iterative
  • Outcomes-based
  • Experimental
Sunflower diagram to depict six principles of anticipatory regulation

Adopting these principles may require regulators to develop, or further develop, new kinds of capabilities.

We are demonstrating how this works in practice though our projects such as The Open Up Challenge and the legal access challenge, as well as working with governments and regulators around the world to test other approaches.

Team

Harry Armstrong

Harry Armstrong

Harry Armstrong

Head of Technology Futures

Harry led Nesta’s futures and emerging technology work.

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Chris Gorst

Chris Gorst

Chris Gorst

Director, Challenges Works

At Challenges Works, Chris's experience spanned the public, commercial and social impact sectors and interactions between the three.

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Andrea Richardson

Andrea Richardson

Andrea Richardson

Senior Programme Manager, Nesta Challenges

At Nesta Challenges, Andrea leads the challenge prize advisory work with the Government of Canada, consulting on research, design and delivery of outcome-based funding projects.

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Jen Rae

Jen Rae

Jen Rae

Head of UK Innovation Policy

Jen Rae was a policy advisor on innovation and economic growth for Nesta’s Policy and Research team.

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Olivier Usher

Olivier Usher

Olivier Usher

Head of Research, Challenge Works

Oli leads Challenge Works research team. He helps to identify promising areas for innovation and choose the most impactful focus for new prizes.

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