Mission-oriented innovation policies are becoming more sophisticated, moving away from older, less focused, and piecemeal methods to tackle systemic issues such as climate change. Although there has been significant progress in the past five years, these policies often rely too heavily on technological solutions. They use research and innovation policy tools and budgets, but they struggle to involve sectoral and regulatory bodies. Moreover, there is a notable absence of extensive involvement from the private sector, which is crucial for the widespread implementation of innovations.

At this early phase, it is vital for mission-oriented innovation policies to evolve and enhance their effectiveness. This involves building on the strategic plans created by the early adopters—groups of committed pioneers. These groups have set up coordination structures and designed a custom set of actions. The next steps include drawing in new participants along with their budgets, tools, and expertise.

Although most mission-oriented initiatives are still in their infancy, with only a few years of actual implementation and much to learn, they are already under pressure to show tangible outcomes. Up to now, the monitoring and evaluation of these missions have relied on conventional methods. However, these methods are inadequate for fully appreciating the wide-ranging benefits of the missions, which arise from the amalgamation of diverse knowledge, abilities, actions, and funding across different sectors. To truly grasp these 'systemic effects', there's a need for new processes, methodologies, and instruments.

Consequently, many policymakers working on these missions are actively involved in creating and testing these essential tools for monitoring and evaluation. This undertaking is vital for fostering evidence-based learning and enhancement, as well as for enabling comparisons and exchanges between international initiatives across varied institutional and sectoral settings.

Introducing mission-oriented initiatives within ministries and agencies entails significant changes from current practices, necessitating a dedicated investment in skills development and organisational reforms. To facilitate this transition, it is crucial to have 'mission teams' in place. These teams are tasked with overseeing and monitoring activities, providing necessary tools, and encouraging exchange and learning among a diverse array of partners.

These mission teams are instrumental in creating and spreading new practices and processes both within and across organisations. This is particularly important in the initial phases of mission-oriented innovation policies, where they ensure that the 'learning by doing' approach of missions reaches a broad audience. This involves critically reflecting on and evaluating pilot projects to maximise learning outcomes.

Furthermore, allocating specific budgets for these teams is critical to foster their operation and to motivate a broad spectrum of partners to participate across different jurisdictions.