Projecting for sustainability transitions: Contrasting two types of project-oriented agency

• Extends project‐oriented agency theory to sustainability transitions by framing multi-project programs aiming at sustainability transitions as the vehicles through which socio-technical change is organised and steered. • Contrasts two Swedish programs, High-Capacity Transport (freight) and a Green University Hospital, to abductively identify two robust agency types: emergent (open, experimental) and induced (goal-directed, mandated). • Maps how each project-oriented agency type configures the four identified agency levers—goal agreement, knowledge/resource mobilisation, temporary trading zones, and temporal pacing—with distinct but effective transition pathways. • Shows agency to be both distributed across heterogeneous actors and embedded in formal institutions, dissolving simple top-down vs bottom-up assumptions. • Reveals practical trade-offs with emergent agency maximises adaptability and cross-sector learning, whereas induced agency delivers speed and accountability through formal structure. • Offers actionable guidance for policymakers and program managers on reflectively matching agency style to mission complexity, stakeholder diversity, and the maturity of the targeted sustainability transition. A core problem in sustainability transitions is to ensure that actors come together and work on a common goal. Earlier research has argued that developing project-oriented agency is essential to ensure transitions. By examining two contrasting cases, the Sustainable Transportation program and the Sustainable Hospital program, we identify two distinct types of project-oriented agency: (1) emergent, and (2) induced. The former showcases an inclusive approach emphasizing open collaboration and resource mobilization, flexible goals, whereas the latter encompasses prescribed resource mobilization , contractual objectives and deadlines. Beyond bottom-up vs top-down dichotomy, these project-orientend agency types highlight different shaping contexts and logics of how actors mobilize projects for change. Our analysis identifies the nuanced dimensions of project-oriented agency and, through what impetus, practices, and temporal structures do they shape transition outcomes. The paper enriches understanding of how targeted projects and programs can bridge experimental niches with mainstream regime transformation, enabling system-wide sustainability transitions.