The UK is full of inventive, creative people but there are too many barriers to putting ideas into practice, it has been claimed.
According to a study by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), many people believe new ideas can be stifled in the workplace despite the UK’s inventive tendencies.
Speaking at NESTA’s Innovation Edge conference in London yesterday, Sir Bob Geldof said:
“Never have innovation, new ideas and entrepreneurialism been more required than now. The essence of entrepreneurialism is to try and fail. We need to celebrate the attempt at trying.
“More ideas come out of this tiny packed little country than anywhere else, but it feels like it’s fading. We need our social entrepreneurs to be innovatory and progressive. We need politicians to recognise it and we need our financial institutions to support it.”
According to the NESTA poll, 43% of people believe there is a culture in the UK in which people prefer new ventures to fail rather than succeed.
A further 66% said not enough is being done through the education system to take ideas further, and 65% believe there is not enough investment or resources available.
Also speaking at the conference, the prime minister Gordon Brown said nothing mattered more to the future of the economy than the ‘ability to innovate, invent and form companies based on the creative talents of our people’.
He added: “I pledge to you whether it’s science, education, policy towards the creative industries or simply our attitude to regulation and tax in the future, we will do our best to break down all the barriers that exist.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
