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Helen Storey and Tony Ryan in the Lab The instigation of the Free Radical group originally came from Professor Tony Ryan OBE, PVC, Faculty for Pure Science, at The University of Sheffield, and Professor of Fashion and Science at London College of Fashion, Helen Storey MBE, in 2008. Following the success of their collaboration on the Wonderland Project, they approached NESTA to support a broadening of this cross-disciplinary way of working within the University and HE sectors. Work began in July 2008. Funded by NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) academics, from The Universities of Sheffield, Westminster, Ulster, University of The Arts London/London College of Fashion and others, have been looking at ways to conceive collaborative and cross-disciplinary, projects which find solutions to world problems. The project aims to embed social responsibility into the activities of higher education institutions and develop a model whereby many universities can work together towards these aims. Their first social innovation has been built on the theme of the preciousness of water, and working with their mass empowered University populations, are piloting ‘Water Amnesty’ for the first time this Autumn.

“Free Radicals will test an interdisciplinary approach to innovation within the universities sector, with a particular focus on innovations for social impact. The project aims to embed social responsibility into the activities of the higher education institutions and develop a model whereby universities can work together towards these aims.” Rachel Brazil, NESTA

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