Released on = April 5, 2007, 7:52 am

Press Release Author = NESTA / Elemental Communications

Industry = Education

Press Release Summary = Nurturing the UK\'s next generation of risk-takers: NESTA
calls for great ideas to build enterprising attitudes in young people

Press Release Body = 05 April 2007, London, UK ---- The National Endowment for
Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) (http://www.nesta.org.uk) is looking for
enterprising and innovative projects for its Future Innovators programme.

This \'call for ideas\' is the first initiative in NESTA\'s Future Innovators programme
(http://www.nesta.org.uk/programmes/future_innovators) and will focus on fostering
the skills and attitudes that underpin innovation, and nurture the UK\'s next
generation of risk-takers. A positive and informed attitude to risk is one of the
key characteristics that young people need in order to be innovative. Others
include ambition, curiosity, self-awareness and team-working skills.

NESTA will fund several pilot projects that explore young people\'s attitudes towards
risk and improve their appetite for innovation. NESTA is looking for voluntary
organisations, groups of schools wishing to collaborate, or anyone with relevant
experience to come forward with ideas.

Pilot projects will focus on how to turn uncertainty into opportunity, judge
different options and overcome fear of failure. The experimental projects should
either target young people, the professionals that work with them, their
environments or a combination of the three. They will test new approaches and ways
of learning about risk that, if successful, could then be replicated elsewhere.
Successful projects will be awarded up to £60,000.

Helen Gresty, executive director of Innovations Programmes at NESTA says, \"The
future of the UK economy relies on individuals and organisations being able to take
calculated, ambitious risks. It is vital that we develop these skills in young
people.\"

Katherine Mathieson, head of Future Innovators added, \"NESTA\'s Future Innovators
Programme is focused on building the skills of the pioneers of tomorrow. We can
only do this by working in partnership with organisations that are pushing the
boundaries with today\'s young people and able to engage and inspire them. Our Call
for Ideas is the first step in forming these important relationships.\"

For further information on the project, including guidance notes and application
form, interested parties should visit the Future Innovators section of the NESTA
website (http://www.nesta.org.uk/programmes/future_innovators). The closing date
for proposals is 11 May 2007 at 17:00 GMT.

----Ends----

----Notes to editors----

For further information or to request an interview please contact the NESTA press
office on + 44 (0) 207 438 9608.

Visit the NESTA media centre for an archive of press releases and to sign up for
media alerts http://www.nesta.org.uk/news/media_centre/index.aspx.

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This press release is also available in PDF, plain text and Word formats.
Photographs are available of the NESTA team in the images section.


About NESTA
http://www.nesta.org.uk

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.

Web Site = http://www.nesta.org.uk

Contact Details = ----Contact----

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