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Governance, Innovation & Change
Innovation policy
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Mission-oriented innovation policy is a coordinated package of policy and regulatory measures designed to mobilise innovation toward well-defined societal objectives within a clear timeframe.
Why this matters
[To be drafted]
Shared definitions
Mission-oriented innovation policy is a coordinated package of policy and regulatory measures designed to mobilise innovation toward well-defined societal objectives within a defined timeframe. These measures span different stages of the innovation cycle, from research through demonstration to deployment. They combine supply-push and demand-pull instruments across policy fields, sectors, and disciplines.1)
A mission in this context is a measurable, ambitious, and time-bound target that addresses complex challenges — such as climate change — through a purpose-oriented, market-shaping approach. The public sector takes an active coordinating role around cross-sectoral issues that individual actors cannot resolve alone.2)
Table 1. Types of mission-oriented innovation, by leadership, mission characteristics, and examples.\ Source: Larrue (2021).3)
| Type | Leadership | Mission characteristics | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overarching mission-oriented strategic frameworks | Centre of government; high-level committee | Multiple missions or mission areas; ambitious challenges; long-term horizon | Horizon Europe missions (EU); Mission-driven Topsector and Innovation Policy (Netherlands); High Tech Strategy 2025 missions (Germany); Moonshot R&D Program (Japan) |
| Challenge-based programmes and schemes | Agency | Focused; seeking acceleration of technological innovation; mid- to long-term horizon | Pilot-E (Norway); Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (UK); Genomics Health Futures Mission (Australia); Science Foundation Ireland's Innovative Prize (Ireland) |
| Thematic mission-oriented programmes | Ministry; agency | Focused on competitiveness in research consortia of the 1980s–1990s; mix of societal and competitive challenges in current programmes | VLSI (Japan); USABC (United States); Mobility of the Future (Austria); Building of Tomorrow / Cities of the Future (Austria) |
| Ecosystem-based mission programmes | Ministry; agency | Innovation agenda developed by innovation actors themselves, with neutral public authority support | SIP (Sweden); Vision-Driven Innovation Milieus (Sweden) |
Mission-oriented innovation is typically enabled by three interlinked policy structures: institutional entrepreneurship and mission governance (including coordination mechanisms and innovation labs), dedicated funding (which influences policy coordination, institution building, and risk-taking), and public procurement (a demand-based instrument to incentivise partners to generate new solutions).4)
Perspectives
Actors and stakeholders
Technologies and infrastructure
Institutional structures
Distinctions and overlaps
Related topics
Topic notes
Content notes from source material:
- Source material consists entirely of OECD OPSI definitions — no ISGAN-specific framing, no cases, no perspectives yet developed.
- Consider cross-referencing Innovation for the broader conceptual framing; this page should focus on the policy design dimension.
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