Mission-oriented innovation - a new way to meet societal challenges

The challenges we face in today's society are both complex and global. Whether they are about poverty, climate change or inequalities in health, individual efforts are not enough. System-level changes are required. If we are to reach a sustainable future in time, we must think and collaborate in new ways. Therefore, we use a mission-oriented way of working where different actors work in the same direction towards common objective.

This web page has been machine translated. If there are any uncertainties, please refer to the Swedish text.

What is a mission-oriented way of working?

A mission-oriented way of working is about changing entire systems. This requires an interdisciplinary perspective and commitment from actors at all levels. It's about breaking silos and letting actors who otherwise don't meet discuss problems and solutions. The aim is for everyone to work in the same direction with a common objective in focus.

This distinguishes a mission-oriented way of working:

Co-creation to understand and take on the challenge
A mix of top-down and bottom-up
Manages conflicting goals to meet complex societal challenges
A joint force collection with a bold objective
Coordinated by actors with different roles in the system

Vinnova worked from 2019 to 2021 together with a number of actors to jointly create mission-oriented innovation. In our book, you get our story of how we did it, together with a guide with concrete tips on how it can be done.

Download the manual

How can you work with missions?

Missions can be integrated on several levels. You can integrate it as a way of working in your workplace, or conduct individual workshops to solve a specific issue.