Contact Projects

Julian Thompson

+44 (0)20 7451 6853

julian.thompson@rsa.org.uk

21st century Enterprise at the RSA - Foundations, Purpose & Approach

The RSA was founded to "embolden enterprise... improve our manufactures and extend our commerce" to improve Britain's prospects as a trading nation and reduce poverty and worklessness.

Since the 18th century, the Society has tried to accomplish this in two ways.

• The cultivation of a workforce with the mindset and skills to adapt and compete in an ever-changing economy.
• The development of technological innovations, practical tools, social reforms and applied science that would not only boost the economy but also improve society.

For over 250 years, this has meant spreading ideas via research, pamphlets and lectures; encouraging innovation through open prize challenges (historically called "Premiums"); and mobilising Fellows in support of ambitious projects, prototype developments and events.

Relevance

Today, while the context may have changed, the underlying ethos and approach remains broadly the same.

The 21st century calls for radical social and commercial innovation, in a world characterised by explosive population growth, multiple resource pressures and fundamental challenges to our prevailing economic model. Globally, we cannot continue on our current economic trajectory without facing major systemic failures, whether ecological, social or financial. 

The RSA is reviving its tradition of encouraging enterprising (i.e. business and market-led) responses to such challenges. Through research, open innovation and prototyping, we look for ways we can not only survive, but flourish in the 21st century. In doing our goal is to create new forms of human capability, as well as economic and social value.

The Enterprise programme spans the whole of the RSA, encompassing the activities of Fellowship, Events, Operations and House. Our programme, and this web page will evolve into a more holistic view of how these connect, but for now it lists only current and prospective work being undertaken from within our Projects team.

Current Enterprise projects

The following projects are currently live, thanks to the kind support of our funding and project partners:

RSA / Google Interactivism Challenge for Young People Alongside Google and a number of other partners, the RSA has launched an open innovation challenge aimed at pulling together ideas for how digital tech and the web can help young people find the employment, education and training opportunities that are right for them.

Camden Innovation Fund & Network Since 2010 we have been working in partnership with FutureGov to support Camden Council in developing its new Innovation and Development Fund. The Fund aims to stimulate innovation in the Borough to tackle its most intractable social problems. Having co- designed the Fund we are now helping to develop the innovative capacity of the local voluntary, public and private sector.

Tomorrow's Investor Against the backdrop of a longstanding UK pension crisis, the RSA has been working in partnership with APG and ATP to investigate what a fairer, cheaper and more accessible private pension system could look like. Our Tomorrow’s Investor report draws upon 2 years of research to argue for a radical change to our pension system.

Community-based business: B&Q As part of our Connected Communities programme, we have been working with B&Q to understand what it takes for a leading local business to play a more integral role in local community development, and in doing so, drive "shared" value for the business itself. A report detailing the project’s findings will be published shortly.

Universities' Business Challenge We are proud hosts of a themed semi-final event for student competitors in the long-running Universities Business Challenge, which nurtures young business talent. The event will pit the brightest and best university entrepreneurs against each other while also introducing them to ethical and values-driven business through our networks of social business Fellows.

Human Capital Development Alongside Bellevue University, throughout 2012 we will be investigating, trialling and promoting enlightened approaches to human capital development. Through this project we will explore the latest evidence on how HCD initiatives can improve company performance, as well as wider social outcomes, particularly in terms of employee wellbeing.

Working Wonders With the support of our Fellows, we are in the process of gathering examples of businesses and public institutions that have achieved success by adopting unusual or radical organisational designs. These will eventually be collated and showcased online, with the aim of disseminating learning to other organisations who are considering their own transformation.

Projects under development

As part of the Enterprise programme, we are currently developing and /or seeking funding for the following projects. Should you wish to hear more about these or to read their proposals, please contact us using the details at the bottom of the page.

Enterprising Places
This project aims to draw lessons from the handful of local areas that are pioneering new and effective forms of collaboration between business and the wider community. In doing so, we want to consider how the conditions and practices underlying these partnerships can inform the efforts of other local areas where the relationship between business, public bodies and communities is poor.

Global Social Enterprise
Through this project we will seek to take the temperature of the social enterprise movement in different regions around world. In particular, we will consider the extent to which social enterprise can play a role in addressing global challenges, and learn what will encourage its growth and impact in very different cultural, economic and political contexts.

The Research Matchmaking Portal
Alongside London South Bank University and University College London, we are in the process of seeking funding to establish a Research Matchmaking Portal. This will be a new online platform linking university researchers with the many organisations that might benefit from their research expertise, particularly SMEs, start-ups and social enterprises.

Untapped Enterprise and the Informal Economy
Against the backdrop of persistent levels of activity in the informal economy, this project will explore different models for how we can better incentivise and support ‘hidden entrepreneurs’ to make the transition to the formal economy. The research will culminate in a set of evidence-based policy recommendations for the implementation of new and effective formalisation models.

The Future of Manufacturing
This initiative, combining RSA Fellows and staff, aims to take a forward look at the prospects for UK manufacturing in a changing global context. Working in collaboration with other initiatives and institutions exploring the same question (e.g. IfM, UK Government Foresight’s Programme) we would draw on eclectic and multi-disciplinary sources, and experiment with new collaborative methods, to shape our inquiry and reach conclusions that will shape policy and industry.

Premiums

The RSA pioneered open innovation as a means to tackle social and industrial problems. From its foundation in the mid 18th century until the 1850s the Society ran "Premiums" - open prize challenges aimed at solving problems ranging from low agricultural productivity, Dickensian child labour, lack of craft skills, and industrial inefficiency. We want to revive that tradition, which still lives on in our Student Design Awards. We are currently seeking both ideas for open innovation challenges, and potential sponsors, in categories which link directly with this tradition, but are still just as relevant today.

Presently we are looking for partners to develop Premiums in two categories:

• Human capital: developing a more capable and employable workforce
• Resources and Manufacturing: sourcing innovative, and ecologically sustainable ways of extracting raw materials and processing them for use through manufacturing
  
  

Get involved and find out more

All of our work depends on the kind support of external funders and the active participation of a diverse collection of experts, activists and partners. If you are interested in enterprise-related collaborations and partnerships with the RSA, developing new ideas, or helping with any of the current projects listed below, please contact Julian Thompson, Director of Enterprise.