NESTA helps talented individuals in the fields of science, technology and the arts to achieve their potential and helps people turn inventions and ideas into products and services that can be effectively exploited.
Since its inception NESTA has made 751 awards. The Fellowship Programme has made more than 235 awards to creative individuals who have a record of achievement at a high level in their field and the Creative Pioneer Programme, although only in existence one year, has already helped to establish 33 new businesses for creative graduates. NESTA has invested £13.5 million in small innovative enterprises through its pre-seed fund, leveraging £30.77 million of external investment.
Programmes
Invention and Innovation Programme
This programme is designed to help talented individuals, micro businesses and small teams develop their original ideas into products, services or techniques with commercial, cultural or social potential. Between 50-100 promising project ideas are supported each year to maximize their potential, with awards range from £5,000 to £50,000 (with up to £100,000 for exceptional projects). NESTA support can include help with: prototyping, research and development, technical or design input, securing intellectual property rights and business advice.
Fellowship Programme
This programme is aimed at providing exceptional individuals with the time, space and resources to pursue their creative goals, undertake speculative research, experiment, break new ground and develop their talent. Help is in both in the form of cash and in kind with support tailored to individual needs. 20-50 'Fellows' are selected each year, with awards of up to £75,000 spread over three to five years.
NESTA's pilot fellowship projects include Crucible, a programme of support and guidance for promising post-doctoral scientists and Cultural Leadership, working in collaboration with the Clore Duffield Foundation to develop a series of awards to encourage the next generation of cultural leaders.
Learning Programme
This programme is designed to support innovative and pioneering education and learning projects. NESTA invites project proposals from centres of excellence and innovators across the learning landscape. Around 15 projects a year are supported with funding levels determined on a case-by-case basis.
In addition NESTA's Illuminate funding stream is looking to encourage science centres and museums to develop innovative approaches to interpretation.
Creative Pioneer Programme
The Creative Pioneer programme invests in recent graduates from the creative industries with both outstanding talent and original business ideas, and helps them develop their entrepreneurial confidence and win essential business start–up funding. Up to 50 each year will participate in "The Academy", a three week residential business skills course. A selected number will then be offered up to £35,000 to start their own business and receive ongoing support of NESTA mentors.
Non-Award Activity
Futurelab (Partnership initiative)
Futurelab is laboratory for using new and emerging technologies to create educational resources. It receives funding from the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Trade and Industry. Futurelab offers in-kind support (partnership brokerage and the skills of NESTA Futurelab staff) as well as limited seed-corn funding for investment in prototype activity. For example, a project to investigate the potential of tailored computer games to act as learning aids in the classroom, or in museums, or in hospitals to help explain treatments to children.
Policy development
In addition to awards, NESTA delivers its remit by engaging in policy development to improve the UK environment for the people it is intended to support. To this end, NESTA has published a number of research reports – the most recent "New Solutions to Old Problems: Investing in the Creative Industries", looking at ways in which access to finance for creative industries businesses could be improved. The findings of more detailed follow-up research, looking at the role of bespoke investment vehicles for the creative industries was published in 2005.
