Can participatory futures methods help to solve the water sector’s biggest problems?

In late 2021, the Ofwat Innovation Fund launched a new series of free, informal lunchtime learning events that showcase new technologies and innovation methods, and host discussions about how they could be applied in the water sector.

This session in the On the Menu series took place at 12:30pm – 1:30pm (BST) Thursday 28 October, and investigated ‘Participatory Futures’ methods.

In case you missed it, you can watch the recording below or download the transcript (DOCX, 49 KB)!

Event description

Join us to talk about a range of techniques for involving citizens, customers and other stakeholders in exploring and shaping possible futures – encouraging long-term thinking and ensuring our innovation efforts are effective and responding to emerging needs. Hear from Laurie Smith, Senior Foresight Lead from Nesta’s Discovery Hub, to explore how these methods can go beyond traditional workshops and surveys to help the water sector tackle its most pressing challenges.

The Discovery Hub is a specialised unit that scans for emerging trends, promising technologies and interventions, allowing Nesta to test high potential ideas before embedding them in its programmes. Laurie’s work at Nesta has spanned from social innovation to address climate change, to innovation brokerage, to facilitating internal innovation.