Grand Challenges, Innovation Policy, and Contests: Illustrative Cases in the United States and Europe

Résumé En

In response to today’s “Grand Challenges” – complex, global, interdisciplinary issues –academic and political experts increasingly question the capacity of traditional policy to respond and suggest the need for renewed public innovation policies. Accordingly, this study considers ways to revitalize innovation policy and types of policy instruments, especially through the role of contests. First, it focuses on a form of policy governance known as tentative governance, which is intimately connected to the Responsible Research and Innovation approach. Second, it establishes that innovation contests can be conceptualized as a procedural policy tool that not only encourages innovation but also can be inclusive and adaptive. To illustrate this proposal, the current study reviews two innovation contest platforms launched by public agencies: one in the United States (Challenge.Gov) and one in Europe (European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation). Using official documentation and websites, the authors analyze how such contests are run.