Mission-oriented Approach Research Articles

Missions and Cohesion Policy: is there a match?

Abstract This paper explores possibilities for cross-fertilization between the mission-oriented approach (MOA), informing the European Union (EU) Missions, and Cohesion Policy (CP). It argues for mutual policy learning between CP and MOA to address their shortcomings: CP faces a gradual erosion of its identity, while MOA lacks a territorial perspective. MOA can offer a theoretical ‘blueprint’ for reorganizing and clarifying CP’s ever-expanding and blurred thematic scope, providing direction to strengthen CP’s result orientation, and encouraging the adoption of ‘whole-of-government’ approaches to streamline CP’s complex governance relationships. MOA can benefit from adopting the CP architecture, which allows for common broad priorities to be adapted to territorial contexts and to regional strategies. MOA could also learn from CP’s goal of maximizing equity and efficiency, its focus on empowering regions, and its redistributive approach for fostering the full potential of all regions to address societal challenges to support the objectives of the EU Missions.

Iot-Sensor-Equipped Food Waste Bio-Composter to Households and to Advance Egovernment in Municipality Authorities' Waste Management Practices

Background: Finnish policymakers issued a new community waste law in 2022, that aims to increase household food waste recycling. The municipalities have launched the implementation of the waste law and are responsible for supervising the development of this new project. Problem: The implementation and supervision of the waste law increases authorities' workload and also public costs. Public servants manage the households’ compost register and carry out compost audits on-site. Challenge: The challenge is to put in place the new waste management law at the lowest public cost. Purpose: The research addresses the validation of a pioneering IT solution that supports and advances households' bio composting and aims to ease waste management authorities’ workload by fostering eGovernment. Methods: The intervention consists in delivering the IoT-sensor-equipped bio-composter and associated applications. The research adopts a mission-oriented approach, and establishes a place-based, multi-actor, participatory, and open innovation testbed at Living Lab. It leverages the Lean Startup process and SWOT analysis. The research method complies with the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation. Conclusions: The IoT-sensor-equipped bio-composter is a feasible solution. Municipality waste management authorities do not regard/consider the IoT-sensor-equipped solution as beneficial from their perspective. The eGovernment strategy is not a driver in this case since bio-composter mapping and monitoring could be a future tool for real estate maintenance companies.

Public support and returns from innovation: evidence from European countries

This paper aims at determining the role of public support in increasing outputs from product innovations. The effects of two different policy instruments, a supply-side, i.e. R&D grants, and a demand-side one, i.e. public procurement, are studied for 15 European countries. The analysis employed 2014 CIS micro-data in a logit model, which was verified using Bayesian Model Averaging. We confirmed that both, R&D grants and public procurement matter for returns to product innovation, and public procurement outperforms the other instrument, however, the impact of grants depends on the source of funding. In-house R&D expenditure was proved to have some impact on firms' product innovation, but it is relatively weak. Furthermore, some positive effects of cooperation on returns from product innovations were confirmed. The study indicates that there is a need to transform innovation policy instruments by integrating supply-side measures with demand-side ones. More emphasis should be put on problems to be solved or functions that are missing instead of being focused on supporting a specific type of innovation. Thus, this paper provides an evidence supporting a mission-oriented (challenge-oriented) approach to innovation policy.

A mission perspective on emissions reduction at the city level: the case of Glasgow, Scotland

ABSTRACT City leaders around the world are setting ambitious targets for emissions reductions. Yet the pathway to achieving this remains largely unspecified. Starting with this objective, the paper explores the merits of deploying a mission-oriented framework within the context of a ‘wicked problem’ by looking at a mid-sized city, Glasgow, which has a target for net zero by 2030. Focusing on themes drawn from one high-emitting sector – transport – the paper points to the real-world policy implications that stem from such a mission-oriented approach to suggest aspects of the approach that may be usefully developed further. The latter hinges on a-priori considerations given to: agency, boundaries and inter-temporality, leading to questions about the nature and scope of wickedness and argues that core issues of wickedness – uncertainty, contestation and complexity – can be amplified in local and multi-layered policy making contexts.

A relations-based evaluation framework to support collaborative research and innovation (R&I) networks

The majority of the projects funded under the European Research Framework Programme (FP) require a collaborative effort in order to tackle complex societal challenges. The underlying assumption is that collaborative networks boost research productivity and the attainment of the goals set out by the European Commission's agenda. In general, the production of scientific knowledge increasingly takes place within networks and consortia with a wide diversity and interlinkages of disciplines, expertise, backgrounds and approaches. This relational dimension has become even more important in the Horizon Europe FP, which has moved from a project-focused to a mission-oriented approach whereby a portfolio of projects is managed in coordination in order to stimulate cross-learning and experimentation. Starting from key concepts and theories of evaluation research, including ten years of experience for the Italian National Research Council (CNR) team as an internal evaluator, we are proposing a new approach, namely a Relations-based Evaluation (RE) approach, that analyses, assesses and builds relationships, both internal and external, with the ultimate aim of supporting collaborative research and innovation (R&I) projects. The framework originated within the context of EU projects and deals with the specific case of consortia funded under the EU FPs. However, it could be easily applied to other types of research consortia and project networks with similar features.

Model predictive control for formation reconfiguration exploiting quasi-periodic tori in the cislunar environment

Given the numerous possibilities that formation flying space missions can enable, being able to design and govern relative trajectories in this scenario is fundamental. Particularly interesting, due to the installation and operation of the Lunar Gateway, which will represent the next human outpost in the cislunar environment, will be the exploitation of formation flying missions in the vicinity of this lunar station. The nonlinear dynamics by which the Earth-Moon system is characterised offers the possibility to find bounded relative trajectories which can be used to design the formation. In order to best exploit the formation potential, some reconfiguration manoeuvres can be used, which by changing the relative geometry can increase the versatility and adaptation of the mission. In this paper, a Model Predictive Guidance and Control strategy is proposed and applied to perform rephasing manoeuvres in the harsh environment of the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits. By including first a limited thrust constraint and then a collision avoidance, a more mission-oriented approach is provided to the system. To further increase the robustness of the on-board algorithms, an adaptive logic is provided to the different tuning weights involved in the Model Predictive Control scheme. In this way, a more flexible system is obtained, which is capable of optimally working also in the presence of a high-fidelity simulation scenario, including discrepancies with the simplified on-board dynamical model.

Rethinking Innovation in Drugs: A Pathway to Health for All.

This article discusses the misalignment of the drug innovation model in the US with broader societal goals. The paper calls for a reconfiguration of this model to prioritize the common good and ensure equitable access to health innovations. The article stresses the importance of adopting a mission-oriented approach to shape the drug market, including reforming intellectual property rights.

Performance in Service Interactions: Employee-Job, Organizational Mission Alignment - A Social Identity Perspective

Marketing by Organisations is an increasingly complex aspect of its operations. It is evident in the increasing complexity and weight of the Marketing Plans’ Expectations in the now highly competitive environment. The dynamic nature of the market aggravates this, the competitors and the changing expectations in terms of deliverables. The Marketing concept can be seen as a business philosophy and a mission-oriented approach to its interaction with its publics to create value. Despite the increasing role of technology in organisations, maintaining the interactional aspect of Marketing is a humane function and is executed by humans. With the increasingly complex nature of the Markets in which organisations work, the interactive element is seldom limited to the scenarios or themes covered in the Job Training and General Tacit Skill developed through experience. This highlights the challenges in managing the marketing function in such a dynamic ecosystem, mainly while still being considered a firm with its economic interests.

How can South Africa advance a new energy paradigm? A mission-oriented approach to megaprojects

Abstract Green transition is a ‘wicked’ problem in that it is complex, systemic, interconnected, and urgent. In this paper we advance a ‘mission-oriented’ approach to reconceptualize energy megaprojects within a systemic, cross-sectoral, and challenge-driven policy framework for energy transition. This approach is operationalized through a discussion of project-level policy instruments including directional public finance, public procurement, and several types of conditionality. These instruments are geared towards shaping markets and industrial supply chains for green transition, and managing risks and rewards associated with energy megaprojects. We also look at the opportunities offered by a more decentralized energy system and the importance of building up state capacity and green coalitions supporting energy transition. We discuss this mission-oriented approach through a deep dive on the South African experience of energy megaprojects with a focus on the restructuring of its public utility, Eskom, as well as opportunities for sustainable industrialization.

Analysing the attributes of Comprehensive Cancer Centres and Cancer Centres across Europe to identify key hallmarks.

There is a persistent variation in cancer outcomes among and within European countries suggesting (among other causes) inequalities in access to or delivery of high‐quality cancer care. European policy (EU Cancer Mission and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan) is currently moving towards a mission‐oriented approach addressing these inequalities. In this study, we used the quantitative and qualitative data of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes’ Accreditation and Designation Programme, relating to 40 large European cancer centres, to describe their current compliance with quality standards, to identify the hallmarks common to all centres and to show the distinctive features of Comprehensive Cancer Centres. All Comprehensive Cancer Centres and Cancer Centres accredited by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes show good compliance with quality standards related to care, multidisciplinarity and patient centredness. However, Comprehensive Cancer Centres on average showed significantly better scores on indicators related to the volume, quality and integration of translational research, such as high‐impact publications, clinical trial activity (especially in phase I and phase IIa trials) and filing more patents as early indicators of innovation. However, irrespective of their size, centres show significant variability regarding effective governance when functioning as entities within larger hospitals.

Piloted Simulation Evaluation of Tracking Mission Task Elements for the Assessment of High-Speed Handling Qualities

Updates to the military rotorcraft handling qualities specification are currently being considered that address the high-speed flight regime envisioned for the Future Vertical Lift platform of the U. S. Army. A team that features industry and academia has developed and evaluated a set of mission task elements (MTEs) that are defined to address vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) high-speed handling qualities. Following the mission-oriented approach upon which ADS-33E-PRF is based, the MTEs were designed to meet different levels of precision and aggressiveness. Tracking MTEs based on a sum-of-sines (SOS) command signal were defined for precision, aggressive, and precision, nonaggressive applications. The command signals were derived from fixed-wing analogs that have long been used to evaluate aircraft handling qualities. While the precision, aggressive SOS tracking tasks, the primary subject of this paper, are surrogates for air-to-air tracking and nap-of-the-earth tracking, the known forcing function allows for complete open- and closed-loop pilot—vehicle system identification. The MTE objectives, descriptions, and performance criteria were assessed and refined via several checkout piloted simulation sessions. Formal evaluations were then conducted by Army test pilots at four simulator facilities, each featuring a unique high-speed platform including a generic winged-compound helicopter, two tiltrotor configurations, and a compound helicopter with coaxial rotors. To aid in the MTE evaluation process, baseline VTOL configurations were varied to achieve different handling qualities levels. Quantitative measures based on task performance and qualitative measures based on pilot ratings, comments, and debrief questionnaires were used to assess MTE effectiveness. The piloted simulation results demonstrated that the SOS tracking MTEs provided an effective means to discern precision, aggressive handling qualities in high-speed flight.

The Mission-Oriented Approach for (Cross-Border) Regional Development

During the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, nations have issued unprecedented border closures around the world, yielding abrupt impacts on the movement of goods and people. This has heavily affected the quality of life in border regions, which are often found to be at a disadvantage when compared to other regions in terms of employment, accessibility, social services and economic growth. Based upon developing threads in the literature concerning the untapped potential for development in border regions, we argue that the Mission-Oriented Approach (MOA) can fit well with the ambitious goal to revitalize those territories in the aftermath of the pandemic. Despite the surge of MOA in discourses on innovation policy, we seek to implement it in a regional development perspective, pursuing both economic and social policy objectives. The authors unravel the policy concept of MOA into three main aspects: (I) address a sound societal challenge; (II) Research & Development (R&D) regional agenda embedded in a cross-border regional development vision; (III) mobilizing multiple cross-sectorial projects. Through a desk study analysis, the authors draw insights from selected case studies where these aspects have been implemented to inspire policy intervention in the aftermath of COVID-19. This paper presents the MOA theoretical model, which has potential explanatory power in other cross-border regions.

Mission-oriented or mission adrift? A critical examination of mission-oriented innovation policies

ABSTRACT This debate article provides a critical examination of the rationale for, and validity of, mission-oriented innovation policies. It does so by providing a critique of the ‘mission-oriented’ approach espoused for the new Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB). The central contention put forward in this paper is that its mission-oriented approach constitutes ‘fuzzy’ policy making which is highly opaque, lacking sufficient detail and fails to align itself properly with the demand conditions within the Scottish innovation system. Arguably, this policy approach could result in significant policy path dependencies which could further reinforce (rather than reverse) the inherent weaknesses within the Scottish innovation system. The paper outlines an alternative ‘diffusion-oriented’ approach which seems better equipped at overcoming the entrenched ‘low productivity, low innovation equilibrium’ evident in Scotland. Regional innovation policy must be properly customized to ensure new agencies are effectively tailored and aligned to the demand conditions within their local innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. In short, policy should be context-led rather than mission-led.

Capacity-, system- and mission-oriented innovation policies in tourism – characteristics, measurement and prospects

ABSTRACT Innovation policies for tourism are under-investigated and under-conceptualized. With reference to the ongoing innovation policy discussions, three distinctive public innovation policy paradigms – capacity-oriented, system-oriented and mission-oriented – are outlined, and the manifestations in the case of tourism are explained. Contemporary strategies and practices for tourism development tend to comprise elements of all three paradigms. Nevertheless, nowadays there tends to be a gradual evolvement towards an ongoing refinement of the instruments towards the mission-oriented approach, which addresses both societal challenges and economic opportunities. The complexity of goals and the number of actors involved increase when taking the mission-oriented policy approach. The EC-OECD innovation policy monitoring program STIP lists many instruments, but is still insufficient for tourism. The study refers to tests of innovation policy survey topics in Overseas Countries and Territories that demonstrate the significant ambiguity of innovation policies. In all types of countries and territories there is a demand for new frameworks, however most innovation policies still seem very traditional and fail to focus on future challenges.

The green transition: public policy, finance, and the role of the State

Summary: While investments into renewable energy technologies are growing almost everywhere, the chances to meet ambitious emission and climate targets, as those envisaged in the Paris Agreement, are scant. To speed up the transition, policy makers need to design and implement a policy mix that could affect not just the quantity of green finance, but its quality as well. In this paper, we argue that a mission-oriented approach to the transition from an economy with high, to one with low greenhouse gas emissions, coupled with the state taking on the role of an entrepreneurial state, could provide an effective win-win strategy to address climate change concerns (embodied in emissions reduction and adaptation boosting) and build the basis for the next phase of growth and technological progress. In practice, this amounts to (i) abandoning the view that cost-internalization of environmental externalities would suffice to induce an effective transition (ii) developing a multi-level and cross-sectoral governance of the transition, with a clear direction in terms of the technological trajectory to favour, and (iii) designing a policy mix encompassing: fiscal instruments, targets and standards; public-private co-funding schemes; financial regulation; and disclosure practices. Social scientists should support such ambitious policy-design processes through adequate model development, where a combination of policies, and a directive role of the state, can be accommodated and examined in detail.

A report from a conference jointly organised by theEuropean Academy of Cancer Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, The Vatican, November 16-17, 2018.

Cancer is a massive challenge with a significant impact on society, healthcare systems, the economy and an increasing number of patients and their families. To help meet this societal challenge, the European Commission has recently proposed a mission-oriented approach to cancer in Horizon Europe, and about 60 participants met at the Vatican to discuss a mission-oriented approach to cancer in Europe, as documented in this report. Painting: Rowe, Ernest Arthur. Courtyard of the Casina Pio IV (ca. 1911-1913).

Towards a mission-oriented approach to cancer in Europe: an unmet need in cancer research policy.

Today, cancer is a significant challenge for society, healthcare systems and the growing number of affected patients and their families. This article argues that new paradigms and conditions for responsible science and innovation policy across the European Union (EU) require (i) the collective action of Research & Development institutions, (ii) a system approach to health systems, higher education and patient organizations, and (iii) new initiatives to encourage international cooperation across an enlarged Europe; no single country can successfully fight the disease(s) on its own. Recently, a cancer mission was proposed (Celis and Pavalski, 2017), the origins of which are rooted in the continuous efforts of the research community, cancer patient organizations, member states and the European Commission during nearly two decades to address the fragmentation and lack of coordination of European cancer research; these efforts led to the creation of Cancer Core Europe and Cancer Prevention Europe, consortia aimed at linking therapeutic and prevention geometries. Ultimately, the platform/infrastructure will be composed of networks of Comprehensive Cancer Centres and cancer research centres across Europe to reach the critical mass of expertise, patients and collaborative portfolio of projects that are necessary to promote science‐driven and social innovations in the era of personalized (precision) cancer medicine. Employing a mission‐oriented approach to achieve the goal of ensuring a long life expectancy for three out of four cancer patients by 2030 is likely to have a particularly positive impact on the way European citizens’ value science and knowledge. It will change the lives of many families across Europe and beyond and should be oriented to ensure that Europe is at the forefront when it comes to quality of life. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that not a single person or region in Europe is left behind.

Integrated Public Value Creation through Community Initiatives—Evidence from Dutch Water Management

Governments are increasingly challenged by self-organizing community initiatives that seek to contribute to or even take the lead in public value creation. The reason for citizen-led instead of government-led public value creation is part of two larger governance trends. The first is the increased specialized, mission-oriented approach to large social challenges by government agencies. The second trend is the increased emphasis on accountability, productivity, and efficiency, following the New Public Management philosophy. As a response to these trends, community initiatives challenge the usual mechanisms, principles, and practices of government agencies. These initiatives are characterized by more integrated and inclusive approaches for dealing with societal problems. In turn, government agencies struggle with the way they can organize productive responses to the initiatives communities take in creating public value. In this study, we explore the rationales behind processes of public value creation in which communities take the lead. We explored these processes in Dutch water management. In this highly functionally specialized domain, we compared two cases in which communities take on leadership for integrated initiatives, including other societal functions and tasks adjacent to water management.

European Academy of Cancer Sciences - position paper.

The European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS) is an independent advisory body of well‐recognised medical specialists and researchers striving to create a compelling interactive continuum of cancer research, from innovative basic research to implementation of state‐of‐the‐art evidence‐based cancer care and prevention. Achieving the above will entail bridging high‐quality basic and preclinical cancer research to research on prevention, early detection and therapeutics as well as improving coordination of translational research efforts across Europe. The latter is expected to be expedited through quality assuring translational cancer research in Comprehensive Cancer Centres – entities that link research with the healthcare system – and networks of cancer research centres. Achieving a critical mass of expertise, resources and patients is crucial. Improving late translational research, which involves clinical studies to assess effectiveness, and added value for the health care is also a high priority. Both high‐quality Big Data collections and the intelligent use of these data will promote innovation in cancer research and support outcomes research to assess clinical utility, quality of cancer care and long‐term follow‐up of treated patients. The EACS supports the mission‐oriented approach recently proposed by the European Commission in Horizon Europe to deal with major challenges and would like to persuade the EU and its member states to formally launch a mission in cancer to boost and streamline the cancer research continuum in Europe. Building a coherent translational cancer research continuum with a focus on patients and individuals at risk will require, however, foresight as well as the extensive and continuous provision of evidence‐based advice to inform policy.

Vision 2030 for the optimal approach to cancer research and care in Europe: A mission or a network of networks?

A mission-oriented approach to cancer care in Europe was proposed by Julio Celis and Dainius Pavalkis in 2017. The major proposed objective is to achieve long-term survival of 3 out of 4 cancer patients by 2030. The authors are president or president-elect of Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) EU Life or European Cancer Community Organization (ECCO). The goal is laudable and ambitious. However, it can only be successful if it is coordinated with active involvement of all stakeholders and interacts with an already well-organized, recognized, and certified European Accreditation and Designation quality approach to identify and select the potential candidates to participate in such a virtual network. The building of a virtual European Cancer Institute based on coordinated networks should refer to unquestioned criteria using a solid and proven methodology operated by an independent arbitration body. The cancer community must share a fundamental responsibility to act collectively and in today's era of the World Wide Web, it is time to think out of the box and consider the possibility of establishing networks of networks.