I kicked off today with a speech at NESTA about innovation, followed by fairly extensive Q&A. (I was welcomed by Chris Powell, brother of Charles who advised Margaret Thatcher and Jonathan who did the same for Tony Blair. This one is the advertising guru, but who also has a passion for innovation….quite a family.)

The point I was making in the speech is simple: innovation is about much more than science and technology. In fact, where we need innovation most of all is in public policy where successive governments have failed to tackle the pressing social problems of our time, from rising crime to poor public health. A large part of the problem has been an over reliance on big, top down state solutions. Innovation – fresh thinking – is required.

The only problem is: we've all heard this before – why would a Conservative government be different? Let me rattle out a few reasons.

We're looking for social solutions, rather than state ones. Ask yourself – who does more to tackle homelessness: a government department or the Big Issue?

We want to measure outcomes, not processes. Labour has become obsessed with how things are done, with endless process orientated targets being introduced, rather than what is actually achieved. Result: we're getting into hospital faster, but we're not actually getting healthier.

We'll be braver about taking the private and voluntary sectors into areas where previously they have been forbidden. Example: some say welfare must be the province of the state alone: I say it is the biggest area of state failure (5m people on out of work benefits and counting) - and so is in the greatest need of innovation and reform, including private and voluntary sector involvement.

We don't see the voluntary sector as a quaint throwback to Victorian times but an engine of real innovation. Pick any problem – drug abuse, persistent unemployment, obesity – and the most innovative work is being done by often quite small voluntary bodies. Find them, nurture them, encourage them. Top down Gordon - of tax credit, ID card and child finger printing fame - will never get this.

We'll champion open source software, not big clunking mainframe solutions. No more NHS computers, much more open platform projects that can be broken down into their component parts.

I could go on. In fact I did - see NESTA site, www.nesta.org.uk for video.