The science of serendipity: how innovation really works
7 PM, 29 Sep 2025
In the Royal Institution’s lecture theatre, Martin Reeves reveals the startling truth about how innovation happens in science and technology.
The story of science is often told as a series of flashes of insight, enjoyed by heroic figures such as the Royal Institution’s Sir Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday. Yet in reality, innovation is rarely so simple or dramatic.
Drawing on examples from the history of the Royal Institution, as well as insights from his recent book, Like: The Button that Changed the World, London Institute Trustee Martin Reeves makes an original case for how scientific breakthroughs really happen. He demonstrates that most are not the result of eureka moments, but a combination of iteration, collaboration and, strangest of all, serendipity. With the aid of vivid demonstrations in the tradition of the Royal Institution, he explains why this does not just mean surrendering to chance. On the contrary, he hones in on the mathematical basis for serendipity—hidden patterns in the history of discovery—and shares the strategies that innovative businesses and research centres use to harness it.
Event information
This event takes place in the historic lecture theatre of the Royal Institution. Tickets for the talk may be purchased here. London Institute guests, who don’t need to buy tickets, are invited to join the speaker for drinks after the talk in our private rooms on the second floor of the Royal Institution.
Speakers
Martin Reeves is a Senior Partner and Managing Director at BCG and is the chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute. He studied at Cambridge, the Cranfield Institute, Tokyo and Osaka. Martin leads research on science and technology and business and society. He is also a published author.