The World War II crisis innovation model: What was it, and where does it apply?

World War II was one of the most acute emergencies in U.S. history, and the first where mobilizing science and technology was a major part of the government response. The U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) led a far-ranging research effort to develop technologies and medical treatments that not only helped win the war, but also transformed civilian life. Scholars and policymakers have appealed to the wartime approach as a template for other problems, typically focusing on the Manhattan Project, but overlooking the broader OSRD effort of which atomic fission and dozens of other programs were a part. In this paper we bring OSRD into focus, describe how it worked, and explore what insights its experience offers today. We argue that several aspects of OSRD continue to be relevant, especially in crises, while also cautioning on the limits to generalizing from World War II to other settings. •The Office of Scientific Research & Development led the U.S. WWII innovation effort.•OSRD focused on solving a portfolio of R&D problems with urgency.•It was largely successful in generating technological and medical innovation for war.•It may be a better model for some innovation problems than the “Manhattan Project”.•But there are also limits to extrapolating the OSRD model to R&D challenges today.