Mission-Oriented Innovation Policies can help policymakers address the complex and pressing social and technological challenges of the 21st century, and give ‘direction’ to economic growth and innovation. The RSA and UCL’s new Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), directed by Professor Mariana Mazzucato, are collaborating to establish a city-level pilot project to explore mission-oriented policies in practice.
In 1961, President Kennedy’s ‘man to the moon’ challenge sparked waves of innovation in many sectors of the economy by bringing focused attention to achieving an ambitious, measurable objective. This kind of mission-oriented approach to policy can stimulate transformational change and economic growth by setting a goal, without dictating a particular route to reach it. They define measurable objectives to address public problems, then mobilise public and private resources to achieve them.
This collaboration will build on Professor Mazzucato's work in this area to consider how mission-oriented policies can be applied to challenges at the city-level.
In August, the RSA and IIPP co-hosted a retreat at the European Forum Alpbach Political Symposium to explore how the mission-oriented framework could be applied to a city-level green challenge.
To find out more about the project please e-mail IIPP-enquiries@ucl.ac.uk / tony.greenham@rsa.org.uk
Read the report: Mission-Oriented Innovation Policy: Challenges and opportunities (PDF, 1MB)
WATCH: The pre-launch event with Mariana Mazzucato, Jeffrey Sachs and Carlota Perez:
Tackling Gobal Challenges through mission-oriented innovation
Project Team
Mariana Mazzucato
Professor in the Economics of Innovation, University of Sussex, from March 1: Director, UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose
