Mandate, publisher and status
Innovation Nexus is a specialist platform of The Global Risks Forum (GRF), established at its existing address. Its subject is the governance of innovation: how institutions experiment, evaluate, cooperate across sectors and spread what works in the public interest. This page sets out who publishes it, what its mandate covers, the professional status of those who take part and the limits that apply to everything it does.
- 01In briefThe short answer
- 02MandateGoverned innovation that produces learning
- 03RemitGoverning the adoption of new tools for shared risk
- 04PublisherWho is responsible
- 05LimitsWhat Innovation Nexus does not do
- 06ConnectionsWhere the platform sits
- 07Key termsTerms used on this page
GRF · Established · service level R0
- STEM methods
- 3
- Canonical methods this field applies
- Topics
- 8
- Subject pages in the field
- Counterparts
- 7
- Platforms in shared fields at GCRI, GRF and GRA
- Report series
- 1
- Nexus Reports series it contributes to
The short answer.
Innovation Nexus is a specialist platform of The Global Risks Forum for innovation, artificial intelligence, and industry and robotics. Its mandate covers governed public-interest innovation and cross-sector technology cooperation oriented to demonstrable learning. GRF publishes it, answers for its content and takes no decision on anyone's behalf. It is established and works at service level R0, information and enquiries.
Mandate to authority.
Fig.How the platform is governed, from its mandate to the authorities who decide. Design, not a record.
People and hazards in Eastern Europe.
Where people live, night-time lights and the floods and fires public institutions answer to, framed on Eastern Europe as an example geography for this subject; each layer is a dated NASA product.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 2
People and hazards
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Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Where people live, night-time lights and the floods and fires public institutions answer to, framed on Eastern Europe.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date; indicators, not assessments of any place; claim ceiling INTEGRATED.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Natural EarthSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). CC BY 4.0
- VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), VIIRS 375 m active fire product, NASA LANCE; vector tiles via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
Layers and dates
- Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
- Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
- Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
- Active fires and thermal anomalies, last day: VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS), NASA LANCE FIRMS · 13 Oct 2026
- True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
Governed innovation that produces learning.
The platform's thesis is governed public-interest innovation and cross-sector technology cooperation oriented to demonstrable learning.
Institutions around a question
Dialogues that start from a stated question and end with a record of what was agreed and where participants disagreed.
Programmes and evaluation
Innovation programme designs and public-value evaluation guides that others can adopt under their own authority.
Institutional skills
Capacity building for public and institutional innovators to commission, test and evaluate new approaches.
Governing the adoption of new tools for shared risk.
Innovation Nexus looks at how public institutions and operators take up new technologies and practices for managing risk: sensors and drones for inspection, machine-learning forecasts, parametric triggers, citizen reporting apps. Its question is institutional: under which trial rules, procurement terms and accountability arrangements a tool can be adopted, scaled or withdrawn.
- In scope: sandboxes, innovation procurement, anticipatory governance, responsible innovation practice.
- Out of scope: building or selling technology, and judging any product.
Who is responsible.
GRF publishes Innovation Nexus and answers for what appears on it. GRF is a Swiss association with a public-good, not-for-profit purpose, and one of the three pillar institutions of Nexus Consortiums, alongside The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) and The Global Risks Alliance (GRA). GRF governs Nexus Universe, the annual programme in which selected work is tested.
Innovation Nexus is an established platform of The Global Risks Forum (GRF). Its activities are shown here only as each one is confirmed on the record, and the current service level is R0: information and enquiries. Contributors take part in their professional capacity; taking part does not make anyone a representative of GRF, and GRF does not speak for their institutions.
What Innovation Nexus does not do.
- It does not regulate, license or supervise any person, technology or sector.
- It does not finance, invest in, underwrite or procure innovations, and it does not select suppliers.
- It does not certify products, programmes or people, and it does not grant regulatory relief or run regulatory sandboxes.
- Hosting or sponsorship confers no authority over findings, and a dialogue record is not a decision of any authority.
Decisions on regulation, funding, procurement and adoption remain with the competent public and institutional decision-makers; see decision-rights context.
Where the platform sits.
Innovation Nexus belongs to the innovation, artificial intelligence and industry and robotics fields. Its science counterpart is Nexus Labs at GCRI and its finance counterparts include AI and Financial Model Risk at GRA. Read discipline and institutional issues for the field itself.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Service level R0 | The current service level of Nexus pages: information and enquiries only. An enquiry receives a reference and a named next step; it creates no membership, contract, assignment or commitment. |
| Conflict of interest | A situation in which financial, professional or personal interests could compromise, or appear to compromise, judgement in research or review. |
| Innovation governance | The rules, institutions and processes that steer the direction, pace and distribution of innovation. |
| Responsible innovation | Innovation developed with anticipation of its effects, inclusion of those affected and responsiveness to what is learned. |
Where this page's references lead.
The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.
Questions and answers.
Is Innovation Nexus a separate organization?
Does taking part give me a title or role?
Who can I contact?
What is the platform's current status?
Around Innovation Nexus.
Bring your expertise to this field.
The current service level is R0: information and enquiries. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.