Policy

Our Policy and Research Unit (NPRU) aims to shape innovation policies that will help the UK meet national innovation challenges of the 21st century. That means we might use our expert knowledge to influence government and regulatory policy, or consider how policy may support the work of our investment and programme teams.

NPRU also publishes a fortnightly e-newsletter, NESTA ID, providing the latest news from the world of innovation policy and research. It also reports on policy-related issues and events in the UK and abroad. Learn how you can sign up.

Policy Briefings

This is a selection of our latest Policy Briefings. Please visit our website to read other NPRU publications.

UK Global Innovation
The UK is a highly internationalised country. A long legacy of international engagement has developed a tradition of dealing with foreign countries and peoples. This is reflected in the global reach of some well-established UK organisations such as the British Council, the BBC World Service, the Royal Society, the Wellcome Trust and the Commonwealth. The UK is also a successful magnet for foreign direct investments, especially in R&D, and is regarded as one of the world's favourite destinations by big international players. But the nature of international relations is changing. And this reflects the interplay of three main drivers: international diaspora (migration), ICT, and the entrance of new countries to the global knowledge economy. Together, they are creating a new form of globalisation, described by some as ‘globalisation from below', which is based on the interactions of people and small organisations across borders, cultures and distance.

We're all innovators now: How users are chaning the rules of innovation
Policymakers remain sceptical about the importance of user-led innovation. But if the UK is to harness this new wave of creativity, it needs to develop policy to support it.

Unlocking innovation in British cities and regions
Innovation performance varies substantially across Great Britain and the different history of each city-region has a substantial bearing on its economic position today

Measuring innovation
Existing innovation metrics constrain policymakers by reinforcing a linear model of innovation that bears little relation to the innovation that is most relevant to the modern UK economy.

Total innovation policy briefing
Policymakers and industry should work together to develop Total Innovation Strategies for the UK’s most important industries, informed by new measurements that capture total innovation.

Innovation in services policy briefing
This Policy Briefing sheds light on innovation in the services sectors. It shows how innovation happens in services businesses and how policy can help overcome the barriers they face.

Unlocking the potential of innovative firms policy briefing
British entrepreneurs are not lacking in ambition and the general business climate is good. But a mix of conditions, institutions and attitudes is holding firms back.

Towards an innovation nation policy briefing
DIUS has recognised that a service-based economy like the UK's will need to think differently about how, where and why it innovates.