NESTA welcomes Sainsbury Review but emphasises need for imaginative innovation policy

05/10/2007

"It's critical the government lead by example on the innovation agenda."

According to NESTA CEO Jonathan Kestenbaum, the Review "presents a positive vision for innovation in this country and rightly celebrates the achievements over the past decade. What will now be critical is the development of an imaginative set of policies to stimulate innovation in all sectors. Lord Sainsbury should be applauded for firing the starting gun on a broader innovation agenda and it will now fall to others to set the pace."

The Review identifies the need for a better understanding of how innovation occurs in each individual sector of the UK economy. Kestenbaum commented: "It's a strong step forward - it won't be enough to apply existing initiatives to other sectors to drive innovation. We need to understand the barriers and triggers for innovation in each particular area and develop policy accordingly".

NESTA also welcomed the announcement from DIUS immediately following the Review that it will develop a new science and innovation strategy. NESTA itself is engaged in a major programme of both practical work and research to build the knowledge base on innovation.

The recommendation for an Innovation Report across government was also highlighted as a positive step forward, although Kestenbaum was quick to point out it would only work if it had the full weight of Whitehall behind it. "It's critical the government lead by example on the innovation agenda. Innovation is the key to addressing our economic and social challenges and must be a priority on which government shows the way".

Richard Halkett, Executive Director of Policy and Research at NESTA, who attended the launch of the report at No. 10 this morning, is available for comment and interview. Please contact our press office on 020 7438 2608.

NESTA
NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts. With endowed funds of over £300 million, our mission is to transform the UK's capacity for innovation. We do this in three main ways: by working to build a more pervasive culture of innovation in this country; by providing innovators with access to early stage capital; and by driving forward research into innovation, with a view to influencing policy.