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.

Tim is a Senior Policy Associate at Nesta.

Tim Leunig served as a senior UK government adviser for a decade, including as an Economic Adviser to two Chancellors, Senior Policy Adviser to six other cabinet ministers, and Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Education. He invented the UK’s furlough scheme, the National Funding Formula for England’s schools, and Progress 8, the method for evaluating secondary schools. In the Autumn of 2023, he was the Prime Minister’s Education Adviser. He has taught at the London School of Economics for 25 years and is a multiple international prize-winning economist. He is also a Director of Economics at Public First.