## Notes from 9 April 2025 [[2025-04-08|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-04-10|Next note →]] Established in 2022 and inspired by the US ARPA, the UK's [[Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA)]] pursues high-risk, high-reward innovation. Conceived by [[Dominic Cummings]], it boasts significant autonomy, bypassing standard government HR and procurement regulations. In April 2025, ARIA [showcased its distinct approach](https://ariaresearch.substack.com/p/how-we-found-our-new-programme-directors) by appointing its second cohort of Programme Directors through a groundbreaking international recruitment drive. This process featured global outreach, intensive interviews, and prioritized unconventional skills such as creative independence, adaptability, and the crucial 'value perception' needed to link bold technical ideas to societal impact. While reviewing the [list of topics](https://www.worksinprogress.news/p/pieces-we-would-like-to-commission) that [[Work in Progress]] would be interested in commissioning articles about, I came across something fascinating: in New Zealand, there’s a gov agency called the [Accident Compensation Corporation](https://www.acc.co.nz/) (ACC) that handles compensation for all personal injuries — regardless of where or how they happen. It’s a universal, no-fault system: whether someone is injured at work, in a car crash, at home, or even while visiting the country as a tourist, the ACC covers medical treatment and income support without requiring lawsuits or assigning blame. The system only covers personal harm — property damage (like a car, for example) is still handled through regular private insurance. But when it comes to physical injury, the focus is on identifying the harm, supporting recovery, and getting people back to work — not on legal fault or litigation.