Evaluation of transformational R&I policy: Lessons learned based on a retrospective review of food systems R&I investment in the EU

Abstract

This paper shares our experience of developing an EU-level baseline for research and innovation (R&I) in food systems, in support of the European Commission’s transformation agenda, with specific reference to the Food 2030 initiative. Food 2030 relates to the EU’s mission-oriented approach to R&I, viewing it within the context of a dynamic food system with multiple dependencies and many different actors. This approach aligns with a growing recognition that, in order to achieve transformational change, the interactions and interdependencies of all components within a given system and its relationship to other systems must be considered. In a transformative R&I system, innovation itself is no longer the endgoal but is viewed as an enabler to solve societal and environmental challenges (the end-objective). Linking such broader outcomes back to specific R&I inputs is not a straightforward endeavour. Furthermore, the inter- and transdisciplinary nature of a systems approach, as well as the nature of systems thinking itself, make it hard to define evaluative boundaries. Traditional public sector approaches to supporting R&I do not align well with such an approach, with implications for evaluating R&I policy. The paper focuses specifically on the novel aspects of the EU’s approach to framing food systems R&I and the evaluation challenges this presents, as well as how we have worked to mitigate these.