The 2nd Edition of “reSHAPE: Investing in Impact at Scale”

On 7 September, we held the second annual reSHAPE event in collaboration with Aspect, the British Academy and the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce to celebrate pioneering ventures across the Socials Sciences, Arts and Humanities.

We are extremely grateful to all the SHAPE (Social sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy) entrepreneurs that have shared their groundbreaking work with us and the passionate investors and stakeholders that have joined the second edition of reSHAPE to celebrate and explore the dynamic world of SHAPE ventures.

Opening speech by Chris Fellingham, Director of the ARC Accelerator

This annual event, which serves as a nexus for academia, policy and investment landscapes, was opened by George Freeman, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, and showcased the incredible potential of SHAPE research commercialisation. The energy of the SHAPE movement reverberated throughout reSHAPE with a collective excitement emanating from academia and beyond.

This excitement was centred on the emerging ventures stemming from SHAPE research, not only in the United Kingdom but also on a global scale. Through platforms like reSHAPE, the united mission of the coalition of partners remains clear: to raise awareness of these ventures, nurture the ecosystem that surrounds them and promote socially responsible innovation.

If last year’s event sought to answer the fundamental question, “What are SHAPE ventures?”, this year’s focus shifted towards a deeper understanding of their impact with the question “What do SHAPE ventures do?”. With an array of brilliant panels, roundtables and fireside chats, reSHAPE 2023 served as a stage to illuminate the diverse sectors and challenges that SHAPE ventures address, ranging from enhancing civil society and governance to promoting health and well-being, revolutionising education and driving international development.

Fireside chat on Health with Medina Johnson, CEO of IRISi Interventions, and Paul Harrod, CEO of Evidence to Impact

At its core, reSHAPE reaffirmed a central thesis – that SHAPE ventures are poised to infiltrate virtually every facet of society and the economy. In doing so, they are reshaping how society, the economy, and governments think about and address the multifaceted challenges of the 21st century. The future of SHAPE ventures is undeniably exciting and we look forward to delving deeper into their transformative potential at the next edition of reSHAPE.

Our 2nd reSHAPE Newspaper

Take a look at the second edition of our reSHAPE newspaper to learn more about the innovative social science entrepreneurs and ventures that were featured during the reSHAPE showcase event!

The reSHAPE newspaper

All photos by Josh Caius.