The science driving serendipity - with Martin Reeves
Find out how innovation in science and technology really happen, using new research done at the Ri.Join this channel as a Science Supporter to get early access to lectures and other perks:
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Buy Martin's book "Like: The Button That Changed the World" here: https://geni.us/mMMV4LD
This lecture was recorded at the Ri on 29th September 2025.
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Stories of innovation typically involve a creative individual solving a well-described problem single-handedly, like Humphry Davy inventing the safety lamp at the Ri to prevent lethal methane explosions in mines. But when you look at these stories in more detail, they turn out to be more nuanced; involving multiple contributors, surprising unforeseen outcomes and a continuous process of social tinkering. Join Martin Reeves as he reveals this messier view of innovation, following research dealing with both scientific discovery and the rise of social media technologies.
Martin intoroduces us to the mathematical signature of serendipity being decoded in the Ri by the London Institute of Mathematical Sciences, in light of recent research revealing that the majority of scientific papers contain significant discoveries which were not foreseen in their original grant proposals. Martin will walk us through this messier view of innovation and its consequences for scientists, managers and regulators.
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Martin Reeves is the founding chair of the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG’s think tank for new approaches to business strategy. He is also a trustee of The London Institute of Mathematical Sciences and lectures on innovation and strategy at UC Berkeley. He is an author of 13 books on business strategy and innovation including Your Strategy Needs a Strategy, The Imagination Machine and Like: The Button That Changed the World, and a regular contributor to strategic management journals such as Harvard Business Review and Sloan Management review. He consults to enterprises across industries on the topic of innovation.
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