Regional missions

This policy brief proposes a way for regions to pursue regional missions by implementing mini missions. Mini missions follow a challenge-driven approach to focus on specific predefined place-based challenges, seeking solutions within a shorter timeframe.

By initiating mini missions, regional policymakers can embrace mission-driven approaches with:

• Enhanced leadership
• Agile institutional and governance capacities for breaking silos
• Delivering strong coordination
• Securing funding complementarities

Overall they can achieve large-scale system-level changes by setting visions and guiding innovation in a specific direction. Many Interreg Europe projects have already begun experimenting with local and regional challenge-driven innovation policies offering many insights for regional policy learning.

Explore five policy recommendations in this policy brief, deriving from the experience of Interreg Europe projects, that inspire policymakers to better design and deliver challenge-driven innovation policies.