Missions aimed at solving major societal challenges have progressed more slowly than desired due to critical barriers related to coordination, decision-making, data availability, and regulatory environments. IN2MISSION project offers key recommendations for designing mission-oriented innovation policies to tackle societal challenges.
The Informational Infrastructure to Accelerate Mission-Oriented System-Level Transformations (IN2MISSION) project sought to identify the most effective innovation policy tools for accelerating the development of solutions to major societal challenges through the use of data and platforms. Conducted by Aalto University and VTT, the project introduced informational infrastructures as a comprehensive policy framework to expedite the creation of these solutions. This initiative generated new insights into the most effective innovation policy tools for tackling significant societal issues. Funded by Business Finland, the project culminated in newly published policy recommendations, which were derived from a series of case studies, stakeholder workshops, and a thorough analysis and synthesis of international practices in mission-oriented innovation policy.
Missions are strategic endeavours to address pressing societal challenges with coordinated efforts resulting in significant social, environmental, and economic impacts. Missions thus extend beyond conventional support for innovation by acknowledging the complexity of challenges calling for more coordinated responses and system-wide transformation efforts.
Informational infrastructures are strategic, generative assets, aimed at facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing among diverse stakeholders. They play a performative role by being not mere passive repositories of data, rather providing constitutive elements to value creation processes in innovation activities, business operations and public service provision.
Data needs to be made more market-friendly and accessible
Results emphasizes the need for a broad mix of policy instruments, both demand-side and supply-side approaches, and challenge-based policy strategies. It highlights the importance of evaluation and impact assessment as strategic tools and the necessity of building supportive informational infrastructures.
The study highlights essential design and governance principles for developing well-functioning informational infrastructures. Key principles include implementing open data standards and interfaces, and actively involving the government in promoting data collection and accessibility. The primary goal is to make data more market-friendly and accessible, fostering interoperable systems based on shared principles rather than centralized data stores.
The recommendations aim to strengthen demand for innovation and avoid conventional policy traps, ensuring effective governance and coordination among diverse stakeholders.
Please read more about the detailed policy recommendations:
