Thirteen high achieving individuals from across Yorkshire have been given a unique opportunity to pursue their creative goals in science, technology and the arts through NESTA’s pioneering (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) Fellowship Programme.

NESTA is working to increase the UK’s capacity for innovation, investing in all stages of the innovation process. This includes maximising the social, cultural and commercial value of the UK’s outstandingly talented individuals. The Fellowship programme has been designed to address this by offering a support structure for accelerating the development of creative expertise in a way which doesn’t currently exist anyway elsewhere.

As a result thirteen awards have been made beating off competition from 346 applications. Here are a few examples:

Dr Hugh MacPherson, York. Dr MacPherson has worked in the field of complementary medicine for over twenty years and is a trained acupuncturist. He has an ambitious plan to integrate complementary therapies into mainstream healthcare enabling large numbers of the population to have free access to alternative treatments. But first, his mission is to convince the medical profession that complementary medicine is safe, economically viable and can stand up to scientific scrutiny. This will require a prolonged period of research and study.

Stephen Manthorp, Keighley, West Yorkshire. An interactive media producer and digital artist, Stephen Manthorp, aims to turn the world of commercial video-games on its head. He wants to explore the potential for creating more social and artistic content, offering an alternative to the repetitious, male-oriented ‘shooters’, but still retaining the high production values and excitement that these mainstream games offer.

Peter Coates, Malton, North Yorkshire. Peter has a reputation as an outstanding stone carver and sculptor. He now wants to pursue a number of innovative art projects that will transform public spaces.  Collaborating with different disciplines is central to his plans and he is currently working with the engineers, Ove Arup, on a ‘river marker’ (flood levels) project in York which he hopes will engage the public about climate change and environmental issues.

At a special awards ceremony at Sheffield ’s Millennium Galleries on Monday 20 February, Venu Dhupa, NESTA Fellowship Director said: “Innovation is fed by a constant stream of new ideas that challenge existing thinking and break new ground.    NESTA’s Fellowships are designed to enable outstanding individuals from all branches of the sciences, arts and technology to do just this.

We really didn’t know what to expect when we offered an open route to the programme but we have been impressed by the high standard and quality of the applications which demonstrate that there is a rich seam of talent in the Yorkshire and Humber region.”