“The end point is a… more appropriate innovation ecosystem” Mission-oriented and responsible innovation in Australian agricultural systems

Responding to global sustainability challenges requires restructuring of systems of production and consumption. Such processes require careful consideration of the mechanisms which coordinate change at scale. We examine an exemplar Mission program, Drought Resilience Mission, and key enabling technology in Australia. With an aim to assist collectives of organisations to deploy programs with ambitions toward systemic change, we introduce a framework to operationalise innovation concepts simultaneously. Namely, experimenting with mission-oriented and responsible innovation ecosystem conceptualisation. We utilise an organisational case study of innovation discourse in Australia's national science agency. Secondary data and primary perceptions of expert respondents from a Mission Program, Drought Resilience Mission, and involved with co-development of a digital climate service in the agricultural sector were gathered ( n = 52). We propose that considering integration of mission-oriented and responsible innovation could help to unlock transition pathways. We suggest attention to coordination across level components and contexts via capability development, intermediation and integration of these innovation concepts will reduce duplication. Ultimately, increasing the impacts of agricultural research and innovation activities where systemic change is sought. The multi-level perspective on socio-technical transitions, mission-oriented innovation and responsible innovation are all frameworks for change, which differ in their backgrounds and agendas, yet all recognise how the spirit of transitions, missions and innovation logics can overlap. We provide an exploratory framework to assist with integration of these overlaps, to suggest integrated investments in agricultural innovation coalition coordination are more likely to result in systemic change ambitions being met. • Analysis of Australian organisational case concerning agrifood sector missions. • Abductive method exploring interaction across 3 research projects and 3 components of missions. • Concept of Mission-Oriented Innovation (MOI) considered simultaneously with application of Responsible Innovation (RI) as applied science. • We explore a Mission-oriented And Responsible Innovation Ecosystem (MARIE) framework.