It's time for Nesta’s ten predictions for 2020! This episode delves into the trends, social movements and technological breakthroughs set to impact our lives over the next twelve months. From the beginning of the end for fireworks to an outbreak of silly walks and the chance to meet your digital twin, host Tiernan Douieb introduces Nesta’s predictors for a rundown of what could be on the cards for 2020. Useful links Nesta Predictions 2020 Vicki Sellick Tris Dyson Get in touch with the...

Listen to host Tiernan Douieb give a taster of Nesta Predicts 2020 and discover some innovation-flavoured #GE19 thoughts and reflections from the team at Nesta. Please do come back on Thursday for your full-length weekly fill of the Nesta podcast.  Useful links: Nesta Predicts 2019 Nesta’s response to the UK General Election manifestos Get in touch with the Future Curious team: [email protected] Or on twitter @Nesta_UK, #futurecurious Future Curious is presented by Tiernan...

We know that what matters most for our health is the food we eat, the air we breathe, the places we work and the homes we live in. But even though we know a lot about what causes ill health, we know far too little about how to prevent those factors from making us ill.   In this episode, host Tiernan Douieb talks to Nesta’s Christina Cornwell about tipping the health research balance away from the biomedical: what happens when you look for solutions to the causes of illhealth - like...

From the comfort of your very own podcast stream, join us at London’s Barbican for an evening of talks, installations and an interactive performance about the future of storytelling…    Stories of the past have been carved, painted and printed. Today, they are whispered through earbuds, watched through screens and available to download.    In this episode, host Tiernan Douieb talks to writer and critic Olivia Laing, near-future author Stephen Oram and writer and narrative designer Chella...

Engineer and designer Nicola Millar joins AI specialist Simi Awokoya to discuss inclusivity and diversity with host Tiernan Douieb and Nesta’s Madeleine Gabriel.    We listen in on a conversation about Nicola’s quest to design a menopause ‘pebble’ with focus-group member, Emily. They meet to talk about how an honest conversation with women heading into the menopause led to the product Emily trials for Nicola.   Nesta’s Alex Glennie gives a glimpse into inclusive innovation in Vietnam with...

We’ll explore the tools and techniques to get people involved in the shape of things to come.   Host Tiernan Douieb brings together Kazakhstan-based futurologist John Sweeney with Nesta’s Kathy Peach and Laurie Smith. They talk about why we should all participate in designing our future - and how to go about it. We also hear from Professor Mark Tewdwr-Jones from Newcastle University. Mark reflects on the Newcastle City Futures project and the ways in which it engaged the wider community...

As well as looking after Nesta for the last nine years, Geoff has had an eclectic career, involving research, policy-making and shaping the way the UK ‘does’ social innovation.   In this episode, Geoff Mulgan and Tiernan Douieb discuss:   The theory of ‘The Bees and the Trees’. Why the best way to create change is to be the opposite of Concorde. Simple steps to personal happiness.   Geoff also reflects on some of the Nesta projects that he has overseen during his time as Chief...

On 16 October, we recorded this episode to look at predictions and forecasts about the way Brexit events might unfold - ahead of the original 31 October withdrawal deadline.   So who got it right? Which method gazed accurately into the future?    Using Brexit as a case study, this episode discusses different prediction and forecast methods - polling, betting, the wisdom of the crowds and academic research.   Host Tiernan Douieb is joined by an expert line-up of YouGov’s Chris Curtis,...

What are the applications or the ramifications of new tiny mechanical bees? And how will society adjust?     This episode is about the technologies that we may well see in the 2020s, such as swarm robotics. We look at the uses but also the responsibilities that need to accompany such technological and scientific shifts.      Dr Edmund Hunt talks to Nesta’s Bea Karol Burks about his work in swarm robotics. Science and tech writer, speaker and thinker Sumit Paul-Choudhury joins Bea and...

Future Curious is back! Season 2 kicks off by discussing ‘The Survival Kit for the Future’. What do you want your future to look like? What shape will it take? What skills do you need to get there? And who do you want to share it with? In this episode, Steve Cross, Maryam Pasha, Kajal Odedra and Tiernan Douieb discuss: How to build your own future (and the resilience to make it happen) Why survival kits are about skills and experiences, and not about rubbing twigs together What’s in their...

Are you curious about what our shared future holds? Join us for season 2 of Future Curious from Nesta. In this thought-provoking and chatty podcast, we bring together leading experts and radical thinkers to discuss the big issues that will affect our future, and what we can all do about them. Each week, Future Curious will bring new insights, challenge existing wisdom and explore new thinking into some of the most challenging issues of our time.   We'll be bringing you the first episode of...

With alternative visions and possibilities before us, we explore the connection between what the future could look like, and how largely science fiction has contributed to this vision. Through a distinctive mix of installations, talks and debates, FutureFest Lates offers audiences an opportunity to imagine and lay claim to a different vision of what might lie ahead. Recorded at Nesta’s first ‘FutureFest Lates’ event, Nesta’s Nigel Campbell is joined by: Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of...

If economic eras are defined by their most advanced form of production, then we are clearly living in one where knowledge plays a decisive role in the organisation of production, distribution and consumption. But the benefits of the knowledge economy are far from equally shared, so how can we make sure the knowledge economy is more inclusive? Joining Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Madeleine Gabriel, Head of Inclusive Innovation at Nesta and Isaac Stanley, Researcher in Inclusive...

Technology has transformed the way we communicate with each other but many people are still left feeling out of touch and lacking that sense of community. How can we change the way we interact to tackle the rise in loneliness? And how can we make sure technology is bringing people together instead of isolating people behind a screen? Joining Nesta’s Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Sanderson Jones, Founder of The Sunday Assembly (New Radical 2014) and comedian Carrie Deacon, Head of...

Over-prescribing of antibiotics is leading to a global rise in bacteria which are resistant to conventional antibiotics. If we are to avoid a world where common infections and routine operations become fatal, urgent action to reduce over-prescribing is needed. Yet in many countries, treating infection is still rather hit-and miss, with multiple rounds of drugs, each potentially creating new resistant strains. Nesta’s Longitude Prize is leading the fight back - incentivising over 70 teams...

Technology is inevitably changing the way we work, no matter what the industry. As with all forms of automation, there are pros and cons - but are we doing enough now to protect workers rights and ensure technology is creating a better working environment? Joining Nesta’s Nigel Campbell to discuss this are: Kate Bell, Head of the Rights, International, Social and Economics department at the Trades Union Congress Eliza Easton, Head of Policy Unit, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence...

The 20th century saw huge leaps forward in life expectancy through innovations such as the NHS, major advances in drugs, and massive changes in lifestyle. In the 21st century, digital tech is set to take its place amongst these as the new force for improving our wellbeing and delivering healthcare. Artificial intelligence, algorithms offer the prospect of personalised care, better diagnosis, improved access to treatment and prediction of health problems. But at what cost to our privacy, our...

With a recent piece of artwork created using artificial intelligence (AI) selling for $432,500 at Christie’s last year, creative AI is now well and truly entering the mainstream. Could an algorithm ever write a song to move you to tears, or win the Turner Prize? Maybe, but beyond the hype, how can AI enable new forms of human expression and enhance our own creativity? Joining Nesta’s Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Dr Rebecca Fiebrink, Senior Lecturer in Computing at Goldsmiths,...

With so much coverage of declining public confidence in democratic institutions, how can a new generation of policymakers use tech to engage with citizens, make better decisions and rebuild trust? Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Tanja Aitamurto, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and author of Crowdsourcing for Democracy: A New Era in Policy-Making, Theo Bass, Researcher in Nesta's Research, Analysis and Policy Team, looking into ways that tech...

What will the future cities of 2040 really look like? Electric drive technology, autonomy and AI could fundamentally change the way we work and live. With drone technology advancing rapidly, cities now have a unique opportunity to shape this disruptive new mode of transport - to maximise the economic and social benefits it could bring, whilst ensuring safety. Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Kathy Nothstine, Lead for Future Cities in the Challenge Prize Centre working on...

Nesta recently held an event showcasing ten predictions for 2019 covering health, the future of the working week, the deepening role of artificial intelligence in our lives and more. Each year, Nesta experts identify the trends, tech breakthroughs and social movements they expect to gain traction in the following twelve months. This year's predictions once more covered technologies and trends that would once be dismissed as science fiction but are now set to tip over into mainstream...

As technology transforms the world we live in, is the education system doing enough to keep up? Students at school today will have to find their feet in a very different workplace as the rate of automation increases and working structures change. How can we make sure children today are equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the future? Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Joysy John, Director of Education at Nesta Tom Ravenscroft, Founder and CEO of Enabling...

We’ve all heard of Artificial Intelligence by now, but what about Collective Intelligence (CI)? How we can mobilise human intelligence for the benefit of society, and what can we achieve when we combine the collective intelligence of crowds with AI? Is CI the missing link that drives forward human development while embracing the opportunities of technological progress? Joining Nesta's Nigel Campbell to discuss this are Professor Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of...

Are you curious about what our shared future holds? If so, the new Future Curious podcast from Nesta could be right up your street. We'll be bringing you the first episode very soon, so subscribe now to hear it first.