The Lab: innovating public services

The economic and social challenges facing us are increasing and complex. 

The impact of a serious recession, environmental threats and our rapidly ageing population are triggering profound changes to the way we all live and work. But our public services – from health to transport and from education to welfare – are simply not set up to cope with the scale of the challenge or the pace of change.

Fresh thinking is urgently needed. We can't continue to tinker at the edges, particularly in the face of increasingly constrained public spending.

Our ability to innovate will determine our ability to deliver better services for less money and build a more sustainable society.

We all need to be prepared to think differently and to question our assumptions and expectations about the ways our needs are met. We need to be prepared to embrace new solutions. 

Government alone can’t provide the answers. So, NESTA has created The Lab to meet this need for bold new ideas that work.

The Lab will incorporate all of NESTA's current work on social innovation and finance.

Call for ideas

Do you share our passion for great new ideas? Do you have the ideas that could radically alter the way older people work in the UK, or prepare for retirement? Do you have ideas that you could turn into action, given new advice, support and funds?

If so, we want to hear from you.

We're launching a dynamic new programme targeted at people in their fifties and upwards called Age Unlimited. We're looking for organisations that can work with us to deliver a range of practical demonstration projects. Learn how you can submit an idea.

Learn how NESTA's Lab is testing new forms of radical innovation in public service delivery, in this Guardian supplement.

This Social Innovation supplement was produced and distributed with Society Guardian - 18 March 2009 - in partnership with The Lab.