NESTA Policy Breakfast: "Innovation at the heart of public policy" with Adam Afriyie, Shadow Minister for Science & Innovation – Thursday 9^th October

In today’s tough economic climate, innovation is more important than ever – not just for maintaining the UK’s competitiveness but as a possible route to solving pressing social problems.  However, as we have seen over the last week, too much of the wrong sort of innovation can lead to economic problems.

 On Thursday 9^th October, Adam Afriyie MP, Shadow Minister for Science & Innovation will outline his views on why innovation belongs at the heart of public policy and why government must remove the obstacles to innovation across society.

To find out more and to take part in the conversation, please join us at this breakfast event for what we are sure will be a stimulating and thought-provoking discussion.  Full breakfast will be provided.

When: Thursday 9^th October, from 8 – 9.30am  

Where: NESTA, 1 Plough Place, London, EC4A 1DE 

NESTA’s Policy Breakfasts aim to strengthen the innovation policy community and foster debate and new ideas.

Adam Afriyie MP

Adam read agricultural economics at university, and went on to become a successful entrepreneur.  He was founding director of Connect Support Services, an IT services company which was recognised in the Virgin Sunday Times Fasttrack 100, and in 2005 he sold his controlling interest in DeHavilland Information Services to a FTSE 100 company.  Elected to Parliament as MP for Windsor in 2005, Adam chaired the Conservatives’ de-regulation task force and served on the Science and Technology Select Committee.  He was previously a regional chairman of Business for Stirling, and captained his university basketball team. Adam became Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation in 2007, and in 2008 he was appointed by David Cameron to champion innovation in government.”

NESTA’s Policy & Research Unit

The NPRU aims to help transform the UK’s capacity for innovation by:

* Building a relevant and coherent policy and research programme that resonates with national priorities, political realities, media interest and the research frontier

* Integrating policy goals within all NESTA programmes - using research to design programmes, and using the evidence base created by programmes to drive policy development

* Establishing a strong policy and research community around innovation