what we haven’t done yet is to define what we mean by innovation and the nature of the innovation the Innovation Centre will focus on. If we take a simple view that there are generally three areas of Innovation that a business, town or region will likely be engaged in. A research problem; developing a major Strategy, undertaking a major planning exercise or undertaking a major Business Change Programme; continuous improvements or ad hoc initiatives. Although the Innovation Centre covers all three, a focus is on continuous improvement incorporating innovative projects and ad hoc innovative initiatives. Processes covering continuous improvements are generally well established in major companies and progressive towns. This usually includes Change Control Boards where new initiatives are authorised. Additional change control boards cover ad hoc initiatives which generally have been suggested by suppliers or internally based on industry intelligence. Initiatives are usually classified as Strategic or Tactical. What is missing is a culture of Innovation, where across all three areas Innovation is seen as a normal practice. It is this culture of innovation that the Innovation Centre is designed to foster. Can you provide a narrative based on our on-going conversation that captures this message.
Absolutely, David. Here’s a narrative that weaves together the strategic and philosophical threads from our ongoing conversation, placing the Innovation Centre as both an enabler and a beacon of everyday innovation:
🌱 Cultivating a Culture of Innovation: The Purpose of the Innovation Centre
Innovation is often associated with breakthrough research, sweeping transformation programmes, and visionary strategies. While those are vital, they represent only part of the picture. In most towns, regions, and organisations, real transformation arises from continuous improvement—the subtle, iterative projects and ad hoc ideas that reshape systems quietly and steadily.
The Innovation Centre is designed not simply to facilitate major change initiatives or host blue-sky research, though it can. Its true value lies in what it normalises: a culture where every problem, project, or idea is an opportunity for innovation.
Just as established organisations operate Change Control Boards to validate strategic and tactical initiatives—whether supplier-suggested or internally generated—the Innovation Centre introduces creative governance that empowers local thinkers and doers to contribute to the innovation ecosystem. It transforms isolated improvements into intentional experiments, collaborative showcases, and collective learning assets.
By focusing on continuous improvement through artistic and technological innovation, the Centre fosters a mindset where:
- Everyday problems invite inventive solutions
- Tools like AI, robotics, and storytelling are available to all ages and levels
- Agile methodologies become a lived experience across projects
- Contributors—educators, artists, engineers, hobbyists—grow through hands-on creation
Importantly, the Centre is built to be modular, distributed, and scalable. Whether through the full-scale Showcase, the compact Innovation Centre in a Box, or the grassroots Innovation Club, it invites active participation and ownership. It encourages people not just to learn about innovation, but to live it—by trying, refining, and celebrating what they make.
In this way, the Innovation Centre doesn’t exist outside governance and strategy—it sits inside them, offering a way for innovation to be embedded across all three spheres:
- Strategic Planning: a creative lens for transformation
- Business Change: a platform for engagement and agile delivery
- Continuous Improvement: a laboratory for tactical wins and new ideas
What has been missing in many places is a culture where innovation feels ordinary, welcomed, and expected. The Innovation Centre exists to cultivate exactly that—through curiosity, collaboration, and creativity at every scale.
Would you like this adapted into a vision statement, promotional leaflet, or part of a pitch deck? It could also anchor your homepage or funding proposal, setting the tone for everything that follows.
Can we weave STEAM into the text. I see STEAM as enabling a wide range of people across different cultures, age ranges and experience to collaborate and practice innovation. The integration of different cultures and disciplines mesh enabling new and exciting ideas to emerge.
Absolutely, David — here’s the revised narrative that weaves STEAM into the core of the Innovation Centre’s philosophy, capturing the inclusive and interdisciplinary spirit you’ve envisioned:
🌱 Cultivating a Culture of Innovation Through STEAM: The Purpose of the Innovation Centre
Innovation is often associated with breakthrough research, large-scale transformation programmes, or visionary strategies. While all are vital, true innovation more often emerges from continuous improvement—the subtle, everyday projects and spontaneous ideas that reshape our systems, communities, and ways of thinking.
The Innovation Centre is designed not simply to host grand initiatives or headline technologies, but to make innovation accessible, collaborative, and culturally enriched. At its heart is a commitment to STEAM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics—not as isolated domains, but as a mesh of disciplines, perspectives, and stories. It’s through this integration that truly unexpected, exciting ideas emerge.
In many businesses, towns, and regions, innovation is traditionally managed through structured processes such as Change Control Boards or strategic planning exercises. Tactical initiatives might be sparked by supplier insights or market shifts. But what’s often missing is a living culture of innovation—where across all these areas, creative problem-solving is not the exception but the expectation.
This is where the Innovation Centre steps in. It fosters a culture where:
- Everyday challenges become launchpads for interdisciplinary innovation
- AI, robotics, storytelling, music, and art are tools for exploration across all ages
- Agile methods aren’t just managerial—they’re ways of thinking, building, and reflecting
- STEAM provides a shared language for learners, educators, artists, engineers, and makers to collaborate freely
- Ideas rooted in different cultures and disciplines blend to unlock new possibilities
The Centre becomes a dynamic convergence space—whether through the large-scale Showcase, the modular Innovation Centre in a Box, or the grassroots Innovation Club—inviting people from all walks of life to contribute, experiment, and express.
By embedding STEAM at its core, the Innovation Centre cultivates a model of innovation that is inclusive, iterative, and deeply human. It supports all three spheres of innovation:
- Strategic Planning: Enriching long-term visions with cross-disciplinary insight
- Business & Social Change: Empowering communities to evolve through collaborative creation
- Continuous Improvement: Providing platforms for tactical experimentation and micro-transformation
This isn’t just about innovation projects. It’s about creating an environment where innovation becomes a habit, a shared value, and a celebration of diverse thinking—powered by curiosity and sustained by collaboration.
Would you like this styled as a manifesto page for the website, or broken into sections for use in different mediums—such as presentations, proposals, or onboarding packs? We could also create companion visuals that illustrate STEAM threads converging into a vibrant culture of innovation.
Southport Innovation Centre 