He is the Deputy Director of the Institute of Innovation and Public Policy at University College London (IIPP) and a Professor of Innovation and Public Policy. He studied philosophy, political philosophy, classical literature and public administration at the University of Tartu (Estonia) and the University of Marburg (Germany). For 10 years, he chaired the Ragnar Nurksa School of Innovation and Management, transforming it into one of the leading institutions in the field of innovation and management in the region. Prof. Kattel has also served on various public policy commissions, including the Estonian Research Council and the European Science Foundation. He has been an expert for the OECD, UNDP and the European Commission, and a member of the E-Estonia Council, an advisory body to the Prime Minister of Estonia. Currently, Rainer chairs the Gender Equality Council in the Government of Estonia.

Professor Rainer has published extensively on innovation policy and governance. His research interests also include public sector innovation, in particular digital transformation and financialization. His most recent books are The Elgar Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development (edited by Eric Reinert and Jayati Ghosh; Elgar, 2016) and How to make an Entrepreneurial State. Why Innovation Needs Bureaucracy” (with Wolfgang Drechsler and Erkki Karo; Yale, 2022), the latter of which won the George R. Terry Academy of Management Book Prize in 2023. In 2013, he received the Estonian National Science Award for his work in innovation policy.