A wide-ranging consultation on the structure and programmes proposed for the new National Endowment forScience, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) will be launchedlater this month.The consultation is expected to last through to March 31, with the first Nesta programme starting in May.
Jeremy Newton, Nesta's chief executive, said: "We are keen to test what people want."
Nesta has a Pounds 200 million endowment from the National Lottery to support talented individuals, bring ideas to market and further public understanding of science and the arts.