Decades of research show that early childhood experiences shape lifelong outcomes - and parenting plays a crucial role. Our new explainer explores what 'types' of parenting most support children’s development and the interventions and community support help children thrive: https://bit.ly/3KQVFPT

Heating engineers: With @nestauk.bsky.social's Start At Home initiative, you can get up to £7,500 funding towards a heat pump to install in your own home. Find a scheme and claim your heat pump here: www.startathome.org.uk

This month, we hit the road for the 2025 party conferences 🎙️ From decarbonising homes to tackling inequalities, our conversations focused on what works - and how policy can make it happen. Here's the big highlights from our policy team ⤵️ 🎥 Watch back our panel events: https://bit.ly/472wYqY

How can museums help support early-years learning and development? We're exploring this with our Mini Wonders programme, a collaboration with Art Fund and 15 museums - blending museum adventures with evidence-based parenting strategies ⤵️

Weight loss drugs have surged in popularity over recent years. But while they are effective for helping people lose weight, their limitations mean we can't rely on jabs alone for tackling obesity. We’ve dived into the data to explore the role of weight loss drugs in reducing UK obesity levels ⤵️

🎙️ What are the big policy ideas shaping the debate at Conservative party conference? Here's our policy team discussing the key policy ideas that we heard, and what else should be on the table ⤵️ 🗓️ Explore our full programme: https://lnkd.in/eG4KT3igr

The long-awaited Warm Homes plan is expected to launch in October, and it will be one of the government’s most important and challenging policy plans. A new blog by Nesta's @acjsissons.bsky.social outlines the 7 tests the plan must meet to tackle fuel poverty, energy bills and decarbonisation:

The Warm Homes Plan is coming, and it should provide a lot of answers and new details to how the Government will tackle the issues of energy bills, fuel poverty and emissions from homes. @acjsissons.bsky.social sets out seven tests to judge the merits of the plan www.nesta.org.uk/blog/seven-t...

How can halving obesity in the UK also help to narrow health inequalities? At Nesta, we’re working to halve obesity by 2030 with a population-level approach. Read more on why we think this is the most equitable way to reduce obesity. https://bit.ly/4pRtnEY

🎙️ What policy ideas should be on the table at this year's party conferences? We've been at the Labour Party Conference this week to explore policy solutions to the big challenges facing the UK. Find out what else we've got coming up: https://bit.ly/4oMmC6L

New pictures! Today we're excited to be launching the first images from our new resource of engaging, accessible and real-life images of heat pumps across the UK, free for non-profit, editorial and educational use. Find out more and view the images: www.climatevisuals.org/heatpumps/

What do you picture when you hear about heat pumps? 📸 A new online library published by Nesta and @climatevisuals.bsky.social challenges misconceptions, normalise this green tech in the home and show how they fit in with everyday life. https://www.climatevisuals.org/heatpumps/

Old policy methods struggle with today’s complex challenges. Learn how flexible, iterative ‘test and learn’ approaches help governments reduce risk, adapt fast, and deliver impactful public services with @bitglobal.bsky.social's new course. 🔗 Book your place now: https://bit.ly/463YRQg

Is removing VAT the best way to cut energy bills? Our new blog looks at the alternatives, from targeting electricity to a one-off debt forgiveness scheme. Is there a better way to spend £2.5 billion? ⤵️ https://bit.ly/42ElFDV

🎙️ What did our speakers find inspiring at Policy Live 2025? From honest conversations about challenges and solutions, to collaboration on policy innovation, here's what our speakers took from Policy Live ⤵️ 🎥 Watch back online: https://www.policylive.org/nesta/332/82846

The government’s ambition to create up to 1,000 family hubs across England by 2028 has been backed by a £500m investment. How should this additional investment be spent to best support disadvantaged children? Our new data analysis explores ⤵️

🎙️ The UK faces big challenges - but are there reasons to be optimistic? Last week, we hosted Policy Live, our one-day conference on how to do policy differently, where speakers shared fresh ideas and solutions on how to build a brighter future. Watch back our sessions: https://bit.ly/4m0j4fx

🎙️ Why should the UK do policy differently? Last week, we hosted Policy Live, our one-day conference on how to do policy differently, featuring politicians, policy experts, business leaders, and changemakers. 🎥 Watch back a selection of sessions online ➡️ https://bit.ly/4mnXroJ

Policymakers often face limited time pressures and fragmented evidence. What if there was an AI-powered tool that allowed policymakers to rapidly identify the most effective policies to tackle social challenges, based on latest evidence and research? We're developing a new tool to do just that ⤵️

NHS waiting times are vital for people's experience of the health service as well as their health. We've dug into the data behind rising NHS waiting times - and why they strengthen the case for taking a preventative approach to health, easing pressure on the system ⤵️

“HMT is the single greatest barrier to devolved policy innovation in the UK”- Mark Drakeford ‘100% agree with that’ - Nicola Sturgeon @nestauk.bsky.social PolicyLive was a great one!

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online for #PolicyLive! More than 400 guests joined us in Westminster to explore how to do policy differently and solve the UK's most pressing challenges. 🎥 Watch back a selection of our sessions now: https://www.policylive.org/nesta/332/82846

#PolicyLive 2025 is underway! 🎙️We’re live in Westminster exploring bold ideas to drive social change in the UK. There’s still more to come on the livestream - watch live ➡️ www.policylive.org/nesta/332/82...

We’re LIVE from Westminster for #PolicyLive, exploring how to do policy differently ⚡ Not joining us in person? Tune in to our live stream to hear talks on economic growth, immigration, mission-driven government, how to make big ideas spread and more ➡️ https://www.policylive.org/nesta/332/82846

📣 24 hours until Policy Live: our one-day event on how to do policy differently. 🚨 Final few in-person spaces available - registration closes today, so don't miss your chance to apply for your ticket ⤵️

Why do people choose to use or resist AI? The first chapter in our new four-part framework - AI & human behaviour - looks at what drives or holds back AI adoption, and how leaders can encourage deep integration of AI that complements and enhances human work. bit.ly/46hqWm8

🗞️ New analysis by Nesta, featured in @the-independent.com, shows the high cost of reducing obesity rates in the UK with weight-loss medication alone, compared to a strategy that includes prevention policies ⤵️

Tackling today’s biggest challenges means working across whole systems - which is often messy, complex, and hard to manage. Our latest blog shares some of the practical approaches we’ve been testing to steward systemic change, drawing on lessons from our clean heat neighbourhoods work ⤵️

The countdown is on: just 1 week until Policy Live 2025 🚀 Don’t miss your chance to hear bold ideas, practical lessons and new approaches to tackling today’s biggest policy challenges with leading experts. Final places available – apply here: www.policylive.org/nesta/332/home

The countdown is on: just 1 week until Policy Live 2025 🚀 Don’t miss your chance to hear bold ideas, practical lessons and new approaches to tackling today’s biggest policy challenges with leading experts. Final places available – apply here: www.policylive.org/nesta/332/home

How can we use data to enable effective early intervention during pregnancy to support child development? We're working w/ @camdencouncil.bsky.social & the NHS to pilot a new approach: a £500 pregnancy cash grant for low-income families in Camden, + a personalised intro to local Family Hub support.

Thinking about your next chapter? ✏️ 💼 Join us at Nesta, the UK’s innovation agency for social good. From analysts to delivery experts, we’re looking for people who want to tackle big challenges in health, early years and sustainability. Explore open roles and apply: www.nesta.org.uk/jobs/

Have you applied for your place at Policy Live 2025 yet? ⤵️ 🌇 Don't miss our Deputy Mayor for the Future session, where experts and the audience will work together to explore how to spend £100 million on digital technologies to improve public services. Apply now to attend on 11 Sept: bit.ly/4m0j4fx

We're pleased to see this statement from @shareaction.bsky.social welcoming the UK government's new healthy food standard policy and calling for robust metrics and ambitious targets to ensure the policy's success. Read more on why we think the policy is a win for the nation's health ⤵️

Good policy isn't just about good ideas - it's about designing and delivering solutions that truly work in practice. At Nesta, we’re increasingly using design and policy skills in tandem to grow the impact of our work with key principles to guide our approach ⤵️

It's easy to think our food choices are entirely personal, but our eating habits are constantly shaped by our surroundings. In our latest explainer, we take a deep dive into how the food that surrounds us has changed and become less healthy over the last 30 years. bit.ly/45Ga3Ba

Heading to the party conferences this year? Join us at the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat conferences as we bring together leading voices in health, sustainability and early years to tackle some of the UK’s biggest challenges. Explore our programme:

Part one of a new series by @timleunig.bsky.social for @nestauk.bsky.social looking at the governments options on tax ahead of the Budget. This one looks at VAT, featuring gingerbread men, marshmallows and tanned cow hide. www.nesta.org.uk/blog/fiscal-...

Simplifying VAT could raise billions for HM Treasury. But any reforms must be accompanied by measures to compensate lower-income households for any price rises. Nesta’s chief economist @timleunig.bsky.social explores why we should reform value added tax and how we might do it.

Where should the new best start family hubs be located to improve outcomes in the early years? Our new analysis explores how data can inform the national rollout of best start family hubs to maximise the govt's chances of reaching its target of 75% of children reaching a good level of development ⤵️

Join us for Policy Live on 11 September to explore how to do policy differently 💥 Take part in Be the Chancellor, our interactive session with @theifs.bsky.social, to explore how to balance growth, spending and responsibility with economic experts. Apply now: www.policylive.org/nesta/332/home

Applications are open for the £7.5M @longitudeprize.bsky.social on ALS 📣 We're proud to support this global challenge, accelerating AI-driven treatment discovery for one of the most complex diseases in medicine. Learn more about the prize and how to get involved ⤵️

Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence & the UK government’s AI Incubator tested public views on “Consult” - an AI tool for analysing consultation responses. People saw benefits in speeding up the consultation process but valued human oversight. www.nesta.org.uk/report/ai-sr...

It's not long until Policy Live 2025 🎤 Hear Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon and Rt Hon Mark Drakeford on how Scotland and Wales have adopted innovative policy approaches, and how they can travel across borders to drive impact. 🎟️ Spaces limited. Apply for your ticket now: www.policylive.org/nesta/332/home

We have just launched a new call for evidence @nestauk.bsky.social 💥We’ll be carrying out a rapid critical appraisal to identify programmes that support parenting and the home learning environment that have robust evidence of impact on child outcomes. More info here www.nesta.org.uk/project-upda...

☀️ Another UK heat wave? The right air conditioning units - often air-to-air heat pumps - can cut carbon emissions and keep our buildings cool in the summer, especially flats and small homes. Nesta’s @acjsissons.bsky.social explains more in the @theguardian.com ⤵️

The UK Govt has set itself ambitious missions on growth, education and health. To make them a reality, it will need next-generation digital tools. In a series of essays, author Richard Pope explores how digital can play a unifying role in the delivery of the government’s missions:

📡 What’s next for low-carbon heating? Our Mission Radar series uses AI to track emerging trends. In Q1 2025, heat pump investment surged, research funding held steady, and policy attention grew. See what this means for the future of clean heat:

📆 Next month we're running a policy conference - Policy Live! On health 🩺 - we're excited to announce that @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social will be joining us. And we'll be running events on healthy diets/obesity, neighbourhood health and AI. Sign up here 👉 bit.ly/4m0j4fx

Policy Live is back for 2025: and registration is now open 🎉 Join us on 11 Sept in central London for our full-day programme: with over 60 speakers exploring how to do policy differently - including Wes Streeting, Nicola Sturgeon and more. Tickets are limited, apply now: bit.ly/4m0j4fx