An equitable, inclusive and diverse innovation system in the UK

Authored by Professor Rainer Kattel, Julie McLaren, Dr Virgi Agita Sari and Manuel Maldonado

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UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, policy report no. 2023/03

An equitable, inclusive and diverse innovation system in the UK Towards a mission-oriented framework for No Limits

This report proposes a specific approach to creating an innovation system centred on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI): we believe applying a mission-oriented approach will help create a framework for many policy actors to mobilise behind ambitious policy targets and coordinate activities over a more extended period. The mission-oriented approach takes a grand challenge – which is by its nature big, bold, intricate and complex – and begins to break it down into ‘missions’ or clear goals around which stakeholders can innovate. In doing so, they shift the focus away from thinking about ‘who does what’ within the status quo and towards a shared understanding of collective problems and transformative goals that can be worked on and towards together.

With the No Limits mission framework, Innovate UK (the UK’s innovation agency) is committing to playing its part in building a more equitable, diverse and inclusive innovation base for the UK, recognising this as a complex challenge that reaches beyond its remit and jurisdiction. The programme is set to be launched later in 2023.

Authors

• Rainer Kattel | Professor of Innovation and Public Governance | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
• Julie McLaren | Research Fellow in Sustainable and Healthy Cities | UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering | PhD Candidate | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
• Virgi Agita Sari | Research Fellow in Economic Policy | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
• Manuel Maldonado | Policy Designer (IIPP Policy Studio) | UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)

Reference

Kattel, R., McLaren, J., Sari, V. A. and Maldonado, M. (2023). An equitable, inclusive and diverse innovation system in the UK: Towards a mission-oriented framework for No Limits. UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, Policy Report 2023/03. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/public-purpose/pr2023-03