Policy and funding institutions –government departments, research councils and science-oriented private foundations– are vital for research and innovation (R&I). They set policy agendas for the R&I community. They can provide leadership, direction and resources to researchers and business innovators and platforms for engaging civil society organizations and science educators. Ensuring that R&I really do meet a wide range of societal needs and desires means drawing upon a range of governance agendas. Some of the most important agendas include the ethical acceptability, sustainability and social desirability of R&I outcomes, the compliance of research integrity in a global context, the achievement of gender equality, the inclusion of silent voices, and the wider involvement of society in opening the science and technology system.