Next-generation innovation policies respond to complex contemporary challenges by adopting new features with deep transformative potential in the economy and society. Such policies go beyond research and innovation systems alone and promote system-wide changes in priority-setting and resource allocations, in institutional setups and regulatory frameworks, in industrial infrastructures, technological capacities and market mechanisms, to meet growing societal needs, such as a cleaner environment, mobility, food or housing.
The understanding of primary innovation determinants has broadened, from science and research to economic, technological and societal factors. Grand societal challenges such as climate change, demographic, health, poverty and inequality, or EU concepts such as responsible research and innovation (RRI), mission-oriented research and innovation, and Smart Specialization Strategies (S3) connect innovation more closely with well-defined societal goals and bring together the triple objectives of smart innovation-led growth, inclusion, and sustainability.
Next-generation innovation policies require not only new design and implementation mechanisms but also new mindsets and institutional cultures that can be both challenging and rewarding for the broader governance systems they are part of. This talk will look at how next-generation innovation policies take shape and evolve, their rationales and challenges. This may provide new insights and food for thought for academic researchers, business managers, policy-makers and public administrations, as well as other interested innovation stakeholders.