The Role and Governance of Science and Technology Organisations in Innovation Policies: Addressing Grand Challenges

Call for Submissions and Financial Assistance – Eu-SPRI 2025 – Valencia, 10-12 June

The Role and Governance of Science and Technology Organisations in Innovation Policy: Addressing Grand Challenges

The evolving relationship between science, technology, and industry has become a cornerstone of societal progress. Historically shaped by military-industrial paradigms and supply-side innovation models, science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy frameworks are increasingly expected to respond to complex, systemic challenges such as the climate emergency, global health crises, and digital transformation. Current debates in innovation studies, including mission-oriented and transformative innovation policies, seek to better integrate sustainability objectives and societal demands with socioeconomic development. However, many STI policy organisations originated from, or were heavily influenced by, earlier policy paradigms that may no longer align with contemporary societal needs.

These shifts call for a rethinking of the institutional architecture of innovation systems and the evolving roles of innovation policy organisations, including public research institutes and labs, universities, research and technology organisations, state investment banks, and innovation agencies.

This track invites contributions that explore how STI organisations have been used and are being reconfigured to address grand societal challenges, and which governance models, institutional arrangements, and organisational capabilities are most effective in fostering inclusive and sustainable development. Contributions may engage with a broad range of issues, including institutional responses to societal needs, organisational adaptation, inter-organisational coordination, and the comparative effectiveness of innovation policy instruments and actor constellations across different national and sectoral contexts.

This track welcomes conceptual, empirical, and comparative contributions addressing questions such as the following:

• What roles can different types of STI organisations play in addressing grand challenges?
• What institutional configurations best support inclusive and sustainable innovation?
• How do organisations harness science and technology to address societal challenges?
• How do governance models affect organisational responsiveness and policy impact?
• What lessons can be drawn from cross-country and cross-sectoral case studies?
• How are missions interpreted, operationalised, and translated into organisational practices within STI organisations?
• How can STI organisations be monitored and evaluated for societal relevance, while also enabling learning and reflexivity?
• How do policy mixes and governance arrangements enable or constrain the implementation of challenge-oriented policies?
• What tensions, trade-offs, or unintended consequences emerge when STI organisations pursue challenge-oriented policy goals?

Given the need to further develop the theoretical base of challenge-oriented policy studies and the importance of learning from diverse global contexts, we particularly invite contributions focusing on the Global South, which remains relatively underexplored in the literature. At the same time, we encourage comparative perspectives that draw on experiences from advanced economies.

To foster a productive exchange of ideas across career stages, this track aims to bring together early-career researchers, senior scholars, and policymakers. We particularly encourage submissions from early-career researchers and aim for them to constitute at least half of the presentations in the track.

Session Structure

To facilitate a productive exchange of ideas, we plan to convene early-career researchers alongside senior scholars/policymakers. The proposed structure for the session is as follows.

1. Presentations (selected applicants, at least half ECR).
   The selected contributors will present their paper, followed by a short Q&A session.
2. Discussion
   The presentations will be followed by an interactive discussion involving the audience.
3. Network event
   YSI would also be able to invite the participants, both young scholars and seniors, to celebrate their participation in the event with a mingle and dinner event. This would be an opportunity for exploring collaborations and continuing some of the discussions in a more informal environment.

Application

• The YSI participants will be selected following the Eu-SPRI application procedure. Submit your abstract to the track titled “The Role and Governance of Science and Technology Organizations in Innovation Policies: Addressing Grand Challenges”, under the topic of “The changing roles of STI actors”.
• Once you have been selected by the Eu-SPRI review process, you can apply here for YSI funding.

Please Note:
You can only apply to this YSI assistance once your application to this track has been selected by Eu-SPRI. Please do not apply to YSI unless you have received a positive result from the conference.

• YSI will be able to partially fund the travel and accommodation of selected participants.
• Please remember that YSI does not cover conference fees.
• If you are affiliated with an Eu-SPRI member institution, you will receive support from the Forum and may need less or no support from YSI.
• If you have been selected to take part in the Imagining Futures Early Career Event on June 9th you can apply for more accommodation days (note that they only offer 5 non-Eu-SPRI places; Eu-SPRI places already include accommodation).

Important Dates

Abstract submission at Eu-SPRI’s ConfTool: it will open on 12 January and close on 16 February.
Notification of acceptance: TBA
Submission of final papers, extended abstracts: 17 May.
Registration period: mid March to the end of May.
Conference dates: 10-12 June 2026 (with pre-event on the 9th for those selected by Eu-SPRI).