Commission publishes report on mission-oriented R&I in the EU

Brussels – European Commission DG Research & Innovation has published a new report by Professor Mariana Mazzucato (University College London) which advocates for mission-oriented research & innovation (R&I) to enable science to answer societal challenges.

The report argues that since Europe is facing significant challenges, new forms of collaboration and intervention are required, with participants applying a problem solving approach to achieve politically driven goals. Five key criteria are recommended for the selection of missions at EU level:

  • Be bold and inspirational, with wide societal relevance
  • Set a clear direction: targeted, measureable and time-bound
  • Be ambitious, but with realistic research & innovation actions
  • Foster cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral and cross-actor innovation
  • Require multiple, bottom-up solutions

The report does not make recommendations about what the research missions should be, but does give example missions of a plastic-free ocean, 100 carbon neutral cities by 2030, and decreasing the burden of dementia, giving an overview of how each mission matches the above five criteria.

The European Commission has opened a call for feedback on missions, which is open until 2 April.

To find out more, see the Commission Press Release, or access the publication, ‘Mission-Oriented Research & Innovation in the European Union: A problem-solving approach to fuel innovation-led growth’.

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