Mapping Innovation Agencies

Team

Alex Glennie

Alex is the Head of Policy Engagement and Learning at the Innovation Growth Lab (IGL).

She leads engagement work with IGL's international network of innovation policymakers, supporting them to embed experimentation practices in how they work and facilitating learning opportunities between them. Current projects include a comparative study of more than 40 innovation agencies across Europe and Latin America in partnership with the TAFTIE network and the Inter-American Development Bank, and management of stakeholder engagement activities within a major EU project on engaging citizens in the work of research and innovation funding organisations.

Before joining IGL in 2020, Alex held a number of different roles at Nesta, conducting research on inclusive innovation policies, and working with government innovation agencies around the world on strategy development. Prior to this, she worked at the Institute for Public Policy Research and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, managing research and policy projects relating to migration, international development, integration and diversity. She is an accredited coach, and works with individuals and teams on leadership development. She is also co-author of Inclusive Innovation (2022) a title in the Routledge Studies in Innovation, Organizations and Technology series.

Nyangala Zolho

Nyangala is a Policy Learning Designer at the Innovation Growth Lab’s (IGL) Policy team.

She helps IGL partners and the wider policy community to share and learn from policy ideas.

Since joining Nesta in 2018, Nyangala has worked to deliver impact through strategic communications and programme design, having supported the delivery of Nesta’s 2030 strategy. Prior to Nesta, Nyangala worked for several years for a human rights and technology startup. She has worked for both profit and non-profit organisations to deliver programmes that are multidisciplinary and mission driven.

Nyangala has a degree in International Relations and holds a MA in Global Media and Transnational Communications from Goldsmith’s, University of London. Her personal interests tend to fall into three main categories: social justice, design and technology.

Hugo Cuello

Hugo is the Senior Policy Analyst at the Innovation Growth Lab (IGL).

Hugo has worked since 2018 in the intersection between the Research and the Policy teams at IGL, supporting policymakers in the early stages of policy development and helping them decide where to introduce experimentation to increase the impact of entrepreneurship and business support programmes. He leads successful projects and publications to promote experimentation and supports the design, implementation and evaluation of several government programmes across OECD countries.

Before joining Nesta, Hugo was a policy evaluation advisor for the Costa Rican government. He also evaluated employment and entrepreneurship programs for the German Development Agency (GIZ) in Central America and worked with various research institutes and consultancies in Europe and Southeast Asia. He holds a BA in Political Science and a Master of Public Policy (MPP) at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. In 2020, he was included in the Santander-CIDOB “35 under 35 List” for his leadership in policy innovation and transformation in Europe.

Duration

Complete (2021-2022)

Topics

innovation policy

innovation agencies

innovation ecosystems

futures

The aim of this global research project, conducted in partnership with the TAFTIE network of European innovation agencies and the Inter-American Development Bank, has been to map the distinctive characteristics of innovation agencies across Europe and Latin America. By analysing key trends and forces shaping the roles that these agencies currently play, we have also supported them to think about the the roles and capabilities they may need to develop in the future in order to successfully navigate complex and shifting innovation ecosystems. IGL is carrying out two separate studies of the TAFTIE and RELAI networks, as well as a comparative study bringing together insights from all the research.

Partners

Taftie

Inter-American Development Bank

Resources