ERRIN considers that the mission approach is an opportunity to overcome policy fragmentation, to break down silos, and to avoid short-term thinking. Missions will also be an opportunity to strengthen public engagement through the involvement of regional innovation ecosystems. Missions could serve as a uniting force between various policy areas, funding programmes, initiatives, and institutional actors.
Building an effective and well-resourced European research and innovation policy post-2020 requires input from a range of stakeholders, including citizens. These stakeholders often work together in partnership at the city or regional level combining proximity with critical mass. Thus, ERRIN argues that effective research and innovation is increasingly dependent on strong interconnected research and innovation ecosystems embedded in regions and cities.
Going towards FP9, several reports - including the Lamy report - underlined the necessity to address the challenge of turning research knowledge into innovation and growth. To maximise impact and the European innovation potential, experience shows that strong territorial innovation ecosystems are essential. These ecosystems connect different actors (along the entire value chain) to create an environment that allows development, commercialisation, and exploitation of innovation.