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In this report, we present the journeys of 21 policyworkers from across Europe who participated in the Policy Fellowship programme of the EU-funded Energy-SHIFTS project (Energy Social sciences & Humanities Innovation Forum Targetting the SET-Plan). This programme aimed to establish research-policy dialogue, by directly connecting researchers working across the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) with those on the energy policy ‘frontline’. In the first half of 2020, our 21 Policy Fellows - which and exchanges with 3-6 carefully matched energy-SSH researchers, or Policy Associates.This report therefore includes 19 full Fellowshipreports, in which we describe the Fellows’ policycontext, policy challenges, how they were matchedwith their Associates, main discussion points and SSHinsights generated, as well as how these were translated to policy impacts. For the purpose of organisingthe Fellowships, the Fellows were divided over five thematic categories: Citizen Engagement; SocialAcceptance; Just Transitions; Behaviours; and Human Capital. While these categories enabled a closer interactionbetween Fellows and the Energy-SHIFTS team, they are by no means mutually exclusive, with many content overlaps occurring.

In the context of the preparation of the future research and innovation Framework Programme of the European Union (FP9), the study collects and analyses evidence of current and recent mission-oriented research and innovation initiatives in European Member States and other major economies around the world. The study includes a desk research improving the understanding of mission-oriented R&I initiatives, a definition, and an inventory and analysis of over forty ongoing initiatives (of which seven in depth cases) addressing major global challenges, such as climate change, health, ageing or food security. The analyses explore implementation and management, including their governance structure, the policy mix as well as the monitoring systems and evaluation mechanisms. The Study highlights that there is a plurality of mission-oriented R&I initiatives. Directionality and intentionality nevertheless differentiate them from other initiatives, such as those that are challenge-driven. The success of these initiatives highly depends on pre-conditions, such as institutions and policies already in place as well as existing capacities and knowledge.

In the context of the preparation of the future research and innovation Framework Programme of the European Union (FP9), the study collects evidence to assess the potential impacts of mission-oriented R&I approaches. The extensive desk research is the basis for the analysis of mission-oriented R&I initiatives and provides new insights in the understanding of their potential impacts and help determine the potential influence of a move towards mission orientation in the EU28 countries. The Study identifies three potential scenarios: a transition to accelerator or transforming missions only, or to the compound of these two (hybrid model). Opinions and data from a varied audience of stakeholders were collected through interviews, a survey and a workshop. The main findings are that the introduction of a mission-oriented approach is widely supported, and that the hybrid model is deemed the most appropriate. The design and implementation of this approach will need to consider carefully the engagement of a wide array of stakeholders including citizens, the coordination across policy domains, policy departments and governance levels, and evaluation and monitoring mechanisms among others.

Europe faces the challenge of meeting growing demand for transport with shrinking public financial resources, while reducing environmental impacts, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, reducing dependency on imported hydrocarbons and lowering accident rates. The European Commission's transport strategy responds to these challenges. It recognises that innovation is vital in achieving these aims but notes that the adoption of innovative solutions is hampered by barriers due, in part, to the fragmented nature of Europe's transport system. This report presents the final results of a study to examine these barriers and to propose actions to overcome them.The report examines five Focus Areas: connected driving and automation of transport, and the use of automated optimisation of traffic flows; transformation of infrastructure to address connectivity, resilience, new fuels and energy efficiency; smart mobility services (including provision and use of data, and urban mobility), freight and logistics; standardisation and interoperability; and alternative fuels other than electrification. Although technology development in the five Focus Areas continues, the report finds that the main barriers relate to the implementation and exploitation of existing innovations. The proposed actions address European-level policy; incentive schemes; standardisation; transnational collaboration; the use of data; funding for research, development and innovation; and capacity building.