As we work towards societal transition, we expect our readers to be painfully aware that the problems and challenges we address are always larger than us, unsolvable by one person or one organization. The wicked and systemic problems call for not one, but many solutions. And no singular organizational entity can overcome, for example, global warming or inequality alone. However, with the emergence of mission-oriented innovation, a theoretical, economic and political approach for solving large societal problems, we are presented with a framework that steers policy makers, researchers, economists, innovators and citizens together to solve our pressing crises, acknowledging their scale, their vastness and their complexity.

Here, we want to highlight some aspects of why mission-oriented innovation, to us, is a promising framework to adopt as pathfinders.

Missions create directionality

The moonshot terminology in missions, inspired by the American moon landing in 1969, encourages missions to set an ambitious direction that sometimes seem almost unattainable, and is highly relevant to society. Missions set ambitious targets to solve complex challenges, where, in many cases, we do not have complete knowledge about how to get there. Missions do not accept the many barriers or obstacles that are inherent in current dysfunctional systems. By setting the ambition, formulating the desirable North Star, they help us set the necessary direction that will mobilize us towards the preferred future.