In the last couple of years, European science and innovation systems have been challenged by at least two major developments. First, R&I funding is increasingly designed with a view to supporting societal missions or system transformations. Second, COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of resilience of science and innovation systems and has questioned hitherto long held views of openness and division of labour in the development of knowledge and innovation.
This year’s edition of European’s largest R&I policy evaluation conference will respond to those challenges. While primarily asking for conceptual and methodological advances in the field of R&I policy evaluation in its broadest sense, a strong focus this year will be to share and discuss conceptual approaches and experiences to assess and measure the relevance and effectiveness of new R&I policy responses which aim to contribute to transformation and resilience. This is especially important – and challenging – as such R&I policies are mostly still at experimental stage.