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‘Bold missions’ must underpin EU recovery, says Mazzucato

Image: Simon Fraser University [CC BY 2.0] via Flickr

Architect of Horizon Europe's missions wants them to shape other EU spending

Economist Marianna Mazzucato has called on the EU to throw its full support behind the themed missions that are a core part of its next R&D funding programme, in order to help the bloc bounce back from the effects of Covid-19.
 
Mazzucato (pictured), the founding director of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose at University College London, first outlined her missions concept in a 2018 paper. This idea of setting specific targets around innovation challenges has since been met with enthusiasm by academia and the European Commission.
 
But in a 9 August editorial for the Financial Times she said the model—which has been incorporated into a branch of the EU’s 2021-27 R&D programme Horizon Europe—now needs political willpower to succeed. This could even include alignment with other EU funding such as climate change spending and coronavirus recovery money.
 
“Setting bold missions at the heart of the recovery plan will go a long way to helping the commission and EU member states move on from a business-as-usual approach and towards a long-term, green and digital economic renewal,” wrote Mazzucato.
 
Before the Covid-19 pandemic five missions were already planned, covering climate change, cancer, smart cities, healthy waters, and soil health. Their funding could amount to €5.3 billion over seven years.
 
“To be really effective, these targets must be taken up at the highest level—by the Commission president’s cabinet,” wrote Mazzucato.
 
Funding should coming directly from the EU—such as the climate change-fighting European Green Deal initiative—should be “co-ordinated and aligned around the five missions”, she said. And missions “must also be part of the blueprint for states as they align their industrial strategies”.