Researchers affiliated with the MIPO engage in self-initiated as well as commissioned research projects, both of a theoretical and empirical nature. Topics and research questions the MIPO is concerned with include, amongst others, the following:

• Conceptualisation of missions and mission-oriented innovation policies (MIPs), based on definitions explaining how they relate to concepts like directionality of innovation support and transformative innovation policies, as well as to emerging policy concepts like the mission-orientation of the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.
• Comparison of different types of missions and MIPs, on dimensions like the geographical scope of missions, their timespan, the wickedness of targeted problems/solutions, the attention for technological vs. institutional and behavioural solutions, the focus on transforming systems or optimizing them, the governance models used to prioritize and to select/legitimize solution directions, the arrangements of responsibilities, accountability, and learning efforts (including use of indicators), and the design and combination of actual policy instruments.
• Reviewing policy adoption and effects: Monitoring and analysis of how ‘missions thinking’ is diffused and implemented within governments and on what accounts the missions and MIPs yield observable changes. Besides developing and applying an assessment framework, part of the reviewing is also the identification of best practices as well as success and fail factors.