Project

Strengthening mission-oriented elements in research and innovation policy contributes to the further development of innovation systems at European, national and regional levels. The planning and implementation of mission-oriented strategies are highly context-dependent and therefore influenced by the respective cultural and political-institutional conditions. Federal systems have special characteristics in this respect (e.g. the heterogeneity of regional governance), which must be taken into account when developing and implementing missions.

The international comparative study deals with the design and implementation of mission-oriented policy. The focus is particularly on two perspectives: (1) the role of the subnational level in the design and implementation of mission-oriented innovation policy and the respective interactions of the different system levels; (2) the application of planning and coordination approaches for the formulation, conceptualisation and implementation of missions (in particular roadmapping and functional equivalents such as theories of change and impact pathways).

After a comprehensive international screening of strategies for the operationalisation and implementation of mission initiatives with regard to the inclusion of the subnational level and the use of roadmapping in the design of missions, eight selected country examples are examined in depth. In particular, cultural, political-institutional and structural aspects that influence the implementation of missions are analysed. The findings will also be discussed and validated in an international expert workshop. Finally, the results of the analyses will be critically examined for their transferability to the German context and practical recommendations for action will be developed.