UNDP’s Accelerator Labs Network has prototyped a new kind of research and development (R&D): learning from signals of change to see patterns that create global business intelligence. As the Network evolves into UNDP’s open, globally distributed R&D capability, we’ve built coalitions in three high potential niches to show new ways to accelerate job creation, entrepreneurship and sustainability: digital financial inclusion, food systems and circular economies. This document outlines an innovation agenda based on patterns we see across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and beyond: the growth of digital finance in the wake of the pandemic with an unclear impact on poverty; combining grassroots knowledge and AI to build sustainable food systems; and business and governments working together to create value from food and plastic waste.