Privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) enable data sharing and collaboration in the digital space in a way that respects privacy, ensuring that users have confidence that their data is protected. However, PETs can also be used to hide traces of criminal activities, most of which today are carried out via, or have some link to, digital communications technology. For this reason, lawful access to electronic evidence has become one of the most critical issues for European law enforcement, as it seeks to ensure safety and security while balancing this with the fundamental right to privacy.

This report presents the results of a joint horizon scanning exercise carried out by the EU Policy Lab at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), and Europol, the EU law enforcement cooperation agency. It contributes to broader JRC efforts to support the European Commission’s political priority, the ‘New Era for European Defence and Security’, by anticipating future technological developments. The aim of the exercise was to assess emerging PETs that could help or, conversely, hinder the future work of European law enforcement. The report underscores the importance of several PETs that experts deem crucial for this purpose.

These technologies have the potential to be either leveraged by law enforcement to enhance their operations or be exploited by criminals, depending on how they are developed and used in the future. The report also examines related complex regulatory frameworks and contextual factors that influence the development and deployment of these technologies. In light of the development of new encryption methods and other related enabling technologies such as artificial intelligence, this report also discusses new ways for law enforcement agencies to securely exchange information and integrate these technologies in the future activities.

Imagine a network of schools trying to prepare for the future of digital technology. Almost every institution knows it needs to change, yet most digital initiatives stall. Why? Because organizations usually fall into a trap called Information Systems Operation Transformation (ISOT). They adopt new digital tools simply to automate existing tasks and boost efficiency, while leaving their underlying mindsets, teaching models, and cultures completely unchanged. 

True Digital Transformation, by contrast, requires a fundamental socio-technical shift in an institution’s core value proposition, culture, and strategy. But in education, no single school board or university can do this alone; they operate in complex, non-hierarchical networks. In these networks, transformation is repeatedly blocked by strategic persistence, an inertia rooted in past success, and by budget-holding managers who favor short-term operational fixes over long-term future exploration. So, how do we bridge this gap between future thinking and real-world action? My research explores a two-part steering engine.

First, we use participatory strategic foresight and scenario planning as a structured learning routine. Rather than trying to predict a single future, scenario building provides a 'safe transitional space' where leaders can combine System 1 intuitive gut feelings with System 2 analytical forecasting. This process surfaces symbolic anchors, shared metaphors and language that make complex digital futures visible and legible across fragmented school systems.

Second, foresight alone doesn't automatically create change. It requires active network management and process facilitation. Because networks lack hierarchical authority, facilitators must deploy specific management strategies, such as connecting key stakeholders and exploring shared content, while engaging unconventional thinkers, or 'remarkable people,' to navigate political budget constraints and power dynamics.

By connecting participatory foresight with deliberate process orchestration, this approach generates cognitive, relational, and structural social capital across autonomous institutions. It enables collective sensemaking, allowing divergent school systems to align around a shared vision for public value.

Over the course of my 5-year, we are co-designing, prototyping, testing, and evaluating a practical Scenario-Based Network Orchestration Framework. This framework will equip network facilitators and educational leaders with a repeatable toolkit to manage power dynamics, dismantle strategic persistence, and turn future-oriented thinking into collective, transformative action.

The Parliament of Finland’s Committee for the Future has developed the Radical Technology Inquirer (RTI) methodology since 2012 to anticipate how technological transformation will reshape society over the next 20 years. The methodological development has been made through a series of commissioned projects, the most recent one ending in May 2026. The method is tailored to foresee how technological development will change the core functions of our society: what we eat, how we move, how we stay connected, how we work, how we acquire information, how we learn, how we make decisions, how we maintain our health, and how we entertain ourselves.

Report and other materials: https://www.eduskunta.fi/en/members-and-parliamentary-bodies/committees/committee-for-the-future/radical-technology-inquirer-rti

Link to RTI-GPT interface for interactive access to the project results: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-69f61028643c819194e7765805384657-radical-technology-inquirer-gpt-eng 

The RTI methodology is built around identifying 100 emerging radical technologies and anticipating their potential societal impacts on a 20-year timeframe. RTI was originally created in 2013 and reported in "100 Opportunities for Finland and the world: radical Technology Inquirer (RTI) for anticipation/evaluation of technological breakthroughs" (TuVJ 11/2014). This was followed by report "Technological change 2013–2016: preliminary investigation of the development of radical technologies after the 2013 review (TuVJ 2/2016)".

Second full report with improved methodology and updated results was published in 2018 under the name "Societal transformation 2018–2037: 100 anticipated radical technologies, 20 regimes, case Finland" (TuVJ 10/2018). The second full report was followed by a number of RTI application reports: ​Development of Genetic Engineering in Different Areas of Application 2018-2020 (TuVJ 3/2020), Towards a better future: technological opportunities and threats to the promotion of sustainable development (TuVJ 1/2021) and, in Finnish only, a report assessing the role of technologies in the Codiv-19 pandemic and the impact of the pandemic on the development of technology (TuVJ 4/2020).

A peer-review RTI methodology paper "Radical Technology Inquirer: a methodology for holistic, transparent and participatory technology foresight" came out in European Journal of Futures Research 10, 18 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40309-022-00206-6.

In 2024, a pilot project was launched to test generative AI as part of RTI methodology, especially in societal impact assessment. The pilot tested impact assessment only in the case of one radical technology, humanoid robots. The results are reported in Humanoid robots from now to 2040’s – AI assisted societal impact analysis using radical technology inquirer methodology (TuVJ 1/2025).

During the pilot project 2024-2025, generative AI had developed in a way that enabled its use (in deep research mode) also in systematic technology scanning according to RTI principles. The latest project in the RTI project series (carried out in 2025-2026) utilised generative AI in most steps of the RTI method in order to produce an updated assessment of the societal impacts of 100 most radical technologies. The results are reported in Societal transformations 2026 – 2045: 100 anticipated radical technologies, 20 regimes. The first AI-assisted Radical Technology Inquiry (TuVJ 2/2025). The report includes a 90-page summary and over 2000 pages of appendices, where the actual results can be found. The extensive report is readable for a human, but primarily intended to be read through AI queries. Therefore it is also published as zipped data package with a readme.file to help the reader to create ones own GPT interface to the results. This data package is on the project pages, together with a link to one ready-made RTI-GPT enabling the user to test whether it is useful to interactively access and discuss with the RTI results.

This technology foresight brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under the FUTURINNOV.

The workshop, held online on 12 November 2025, focused on the identification, evaluation, and prioritisation of emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations across all technology readiness levels (TRLs) in the field of ocean observation. Signals were collected through expert inputs, literature review, and text and data mining of patents, scientific publications, and EU-funded research and innovation projects.

These signals were subsequently assessed by a multidisciplinary group of experts, leading to the prioritisation of eight key observation technologies: autonomous eDNA and eRNA samplers; lab-on-chip systems; cost-effective and modular sensors; data fusion between Earth observation and in-situ measurements; distributed acoustic sensing; AI-enhanced passive acoustic sensing; deep learning-enabled imaging; and flow cytometry and particle-based high-frequency observations of plankton.

In addition, four enabling technological and innovation fields were identified as critical for advancing ocean observation capabilities: expanding in-situ observation infrastructures; data interoperability and integration; autonomous surface and underwater vehicles; and artificial intelligence. The brief also highlights a range of contextual factors shaping the development and uptake of ocean observation technologies across social, technological, economic, environmental, and political and regulatory dimensions. These include challenges related to data standards and taxonomic expertise, tensions between budget constraints and increasing monitoring demands, the need for real-time detection in the face of accelerating environmental change, and geopolitical dynamics influencing international cooperation and the governance of dual-use technologies. 

This report presents the outcomes of the Geopolitical Industrial Decarbonisation Scenarios workshop, convened on behalf of the Eye of Europe Horizon Europe project by the Insight Foresight Institute. Bringing together 30 participants from across the European Union—including policymakers at EU, national, and regional levels, industry leaders, energy and climate specialists, and foresight and forecasting experts—the workshop explored how the EU can navigate mounting geopolitical uncertainty while accelerating industrial decarbonization on a 2050 horizon.

The discussion was structured around two core aims. First, participants examined a suite of forward-looking geopolitical scenarios, assessing how divergent power dynamics, energy trade patterns, and technological trajectories could either hinder or catalyse the transition to a net-zero industrial base in the EU countries. Particular attention was paid to supply-chain resilience, strategic autonomy in critical materials, and the interplay between carbon border adjustments and global climate diplomacy. Second, the workshop sought to surface emergent research and innovation (R&I) needs and opportunities that would equip EU actors to thrive across the scenarios. Priorities highlighted include advanced electrification processes for hard-to-abate sectors, low-carbon hydrogen and synthetic-fuel value chains, circular-economy business models, and data-driven tools for real-time decarbonisation monitoring.

Outputs from the session feed directly into the Eye of Europe project’s multi-workshop learning cycle. Immediate products comprise this extended report for attendees; aggregated insights captured in the public Pilot Logbook Part I – What we did and Part II – What we learned; and distilled policy recommendations to be released in the Eye of Europe Policy Brief: Foresight Perspectives on Key R&I Topics. Beyond documentation, the Insight Foresight Institute will leverage the findings to stimulate agenda-setting dialogues with EU bodies and industrial stakeholders, ensuring that identified R&I pathways inform Horizon Europe programming and other EU-level funding instruments. Workshop materials and presentations are retrievable via the futures4europe.eu knowledge-sharing portal, reinforcing the project’s commitment to an open foresight community.

This brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, in the context of FUTURINNOV (FUTURe-oriented detection and assessment of emerging technologies and break-through INNOVation) a collaboration between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), aiming to support the EIC's strategic intelligence through foresight and other anticipatory methodologies.

The workshop, held online on 15 May 2025, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals related to emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology readiness levels (TRLs), within cell and gene therapies.

Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects. These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts, which led to the identification of seven key topics: in vivo gene therapy; microphysiological pre-clinical models; stem cells in multiple applications; new tools for advanced tissue delivery; in silico & AI; conversion of tumour cells; and emerging genome and epigenome-based therapies.

Participants also highlighted various contextual factors that could influence the development, adoption, and uptake of emerging technologies within this field, including in domains such as: competitiveness and geopolitics; talent and expertise; cross-border and cross-sector collaboration; funding, economic and market conditions; regulatory, safety and ethical challenges; health and RDI ecosystems; and infrastructure and manufacturing.

The World Futures Studies Federation offers its standards to institutions interested in achieving accreditation in futures studies. Institutions offering programmes which meet the Federation’s standards will be credentialed as an Accredited Foresight Programme. Accreditation will extend for a period of five (5) years. Review of accreditation will be available every five (5) years to ensure programmes continue to maintain high quality standards of the Federation.


We provide accreditation only to education providers that have been recognized by the relevant department or ministry of education in their country as a tertiary education provider.

How To Apply: https://wfsf.org/accreditation-services/ 

The introduction of a new technology is never an isolated event and never concerns only one market or one domain. There are invariably socio-cultural, political, economic, and environmental implications, as well as impacts, influences, “cross-pollination”, and correlations among different technologies.

The very broad definition of technology itself betrays its intrinsic complexity: a vast field of research involving various technical and scientific disciplines, which examines the application and use of everything that can serve to solve problems. The term “technology” also refers to the aggregate of knowledge, skills, and tools used to design, create, and utilise objects, processes, systems, or services to meet human needs.

An emerging technology, in particular, is one that is radically new and relatively fast-growing technology [it is not necessarily exponential, as the common dialectics of recent years have conditioned us to expect, yet this has little to do with the mathematical concepts of exponentiality; rapid growth does not imply exponentiality]. It is characterised by a certain degree of coherence (or consistency) that persists over time and has the potential to have a substantial impact on the socio-economic-political domains (understood as the players, institutions, and models of interactions between them, as well as all the processes of knowledge production associated with these domains).

Its most significant impact lies in the future and thus in the emergency phase: an emerging technology is still quite uncertain and ambiguous. For this reason, it would be prudent to analyse its potential impacts in a timely manner, to avoid getting trapped in Amara’s Law.

We empower you to work with the futures. Our ideas show organizations how to deal with terms like weak signals, trends or white spots, and at the same time energizing to position themselves. We like discussing new developments and trends, with their respective effects on the organization, in order to design frameworks for actions and strenghten the matching future-attitude and accompanying measures.Schaltzeit has successfully provided consulting and operational services within the areas of foresight, ideation, experiences, software and design, to organizations in sectors such as telecommunication, automotive, biotechnology, software development, medicine, cosmetics and others.
We ignite and accompany you on your way to success.
Schaltzeit fills gaps, optimizes processes and forms the link between actors and processes in order to make results transparent and usable and sustainably establishes future-oriented thinking and acting.

WE HAVE A SOCIAL MISSION: TO STIMULATE CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.
We focus on Futures & Foresight (Futures Thinking / Futures Studies & Strategic Foresight), with a specialization in Technology Foresight and ETS, Emerging Technologies Scanning. We are also dedicated to Futures Literacy, which involves the theoretical and practical literacy of Futures Studies and Futures Thinking. Through a Slow Journalism model, we disseminate and promote knowledge of emerging technologies, analyzing their potential impacts on our possible and alternative futures.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is organizing a one-day Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Strategic Technology Foresight for policy making on 18 June, 2025 in Vienna, Austria.

The EGM will be oriented towards drawing lessons from experience of, and identifying future trends in, the use of technology foresight for strategic decision making. It will focus on sustainable development, and particularly on transitions towards a Circular Economy (which features as an example of the most recent experience).

This science for policy brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under the FUTURINNOV (FUTURe-oriented detection and assessment of emerging technologies and break-through INNOVation) project, a collaboration between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), aiming to bolster the EIC's strategic intelligence through foresight and anticipatory methodologies.
The workshop, held on 13 November 2024, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology readiness levels (TRLs), within the digital and network security domain. Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects.
These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of eight key topics: deepfake detection, quantum-resistant algorithms, interoperability for end-to-end encrypted messaging systems, privacy and security in virtual reality, false data injection attack detection, inter-satellite communication, privacy-preserving machine learning, and tiny solar-powered drones capable of near-perpetual flight.
Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and promotion of these emerging technologies including: tensions between privacy and security, emerging geopolitical threats, technological and regulatory enablers, trust and transparency, and the economic barriers that shape technological development and adoption.

In the small seaside township of Diano Marina, Liguria Region, Italy, the local community has been organising frequent meetings to help people overcome growing fears of an increasingly uncertain future. This initiative, called ‘Fridays of Knowledge’, aims to equip the local community with scientific tools and knowledge to understand the risks and implications of new technologies in a dialogue together with students, academics, and journalists. Communication Manager for Fridays of Knowledge, Damiana Biga, tells Futures4Europe how this initiative sparks debates across different generations and backgrounds, fostering a sense of shared responsibility and curiosity.

Supports the economic growth in South-East Europe by promoting innovative solutions and facilitating the transfer of technologies and know-how. 

The first organization in the South- East region to implement foresight methods to shape public policy.

This report documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under the FUTURINNOV (FUTURe-oriented detection and assessment of emerging technologies and breakthrough INNOVation) project, a collaboration between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), aiming to bolster the EIC's strategic intelligence through foresight and anticipatory methodologies.
The workshop, held on 16 October 2024, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all tech7-nology readiness levels (TRLs), within the broad Mobility domain, broken-down into four key areas: transport systems, networks and multimodality; automotive and roads; rail/freight and logistics and aviation and airports.
Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects. These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of 22 different key topics across the key areas above. These signals can be seen as hotspots of innovation that deserve the EIC’s attention for possible future support.
Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and promotion of these emerging technologies, which are presented in the report as drivers, enablers and barriers, and analysed specifically in each of the 4 key areas.

The EU Policy Lab is a space for cross-disciplinary exploration and innovation in policymaking. We apply collaborative, systemic and forward-looking approaches to help bringing the scientific knowledge of the Joint Research Centre into EU policymaking.

We experiment with the new, the unprecedented and the unknown. We seek to augment our understanding of the present, challenge and reinvent the way we think about the future.

The EU Policy Lab is also a mindset and a way of working together that combines stories and data, anticipation and analysis, imagination and action. We bring new practical and radical perspectives to tackle complex problems in a collaborative way. Together, we explore, connect and ideate to create better policies.

The Competence Centre on Foresight is part of the EU Policy Lab and supports EU policy making by providing strategic and future-oriented input, developing an anticipatory culture inside the European Commission, and continuously experimenting and developing different methods and tools to make foresight useful for decision making processes. 

The FUTURINNOV project run by European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) supports the European Innovation Council (EIC) in building strategic intelligence capacity through foresight and other anticipatory approaches. This is done through activities to identify funding priorities, inform programme design, contribute to policy feedback, and develop institutional governance. 

The main objectives are to:
• Provide short and medium-term future-oriented evidence-based advice on signals and trends of emerging technologies, breakthrough innovation, and investment patterns;
• Support the development of long-term EIC strategic intelligence, grounded in anticipatory, collective, and hybrid methods, towards knowledge transfer and capacity building; and
• Explore innovative anticipatory thinking and future-oriented methodologies to support EIC in its mission as a funding body and a knowledge- provider for policy design and implementation.
The project started in the beginning of the 2024 and will run until February 2025. Outputs of the FUTURINNOV project will include three literature reviews identifying and analysing signals of emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations as well as findings from horizon scanning workshops.

Visit the project webiste

Eyes on the Future - Signals from recent reports on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations to support European Innovation Council strategic intelligence - Volume 1

The report provides a literature review of publications authored by numerous external organisations. It summarises 34 signals and trends of emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations across the 11 primary categories of a taxonomy defined by the European Innovation Council (EIC). The authors investigate not only what is deemed most novel in multiple application domains but what is worth the attention of European Union (EU) policy audiences involved with priority-setting and decision-making. The literature review

(1) reviews and evaluates 186 reports and articles on emerging technologies,
(2) captures 489 signals, of which 86 have been short-listed and 34 selected for this report,
(3) creates an internal database of signals which is used to digest and analyse the evolution of signals and novel technologies
(4) connects signals with EIC portfolios and other European Commission (EC) initiatives such as policies surrounding critical technologies and Strategic Technologies for Europe 

Platform (STEP) investments that, together with the primary and secondary levels of the EIC taxonomy, provide multiple types of analysis and insights(5) draws conclusions that aim to support the EIC’s funding prioritisation and additionally, provide reflections on EIC portfolio setting.  

Read some insights from the blog. 

Eyes on the Future - Signals from recent reports on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations to support European Innovation Council strategic intelligence - Volume 2

The second volume of the literature review with 30 selected signals and trends that were considered particularly relevant to the 10 critical technology areas identified by the Commission. Some examples are:
• Neuromorphic chip optimised for energy efficient AI workloads
• Laser-equipped satellites for secure quantum communications
• Possibilities of microgravity bioreactors and 3D bioprinting for regenerative medicine
• Self-consuming rockets to reduce space debris and improve efficiency
• Potential to capture wasted 'reflected' energy from PV systems
• Preparation–free, adhesive skin patches to help people control robotic exoskeletons.

Eyes on the Future - Signals from recent reports on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations to support European Innovation Council strategic intelligence - Volume 3
This literature review report focuses on signals based on emerging technologies developed by non-EU countries and summarises findings in a final selection of 30 signals and trends clustered according to the 10 critical technology areas defined by the European Commission, as well as through other frameworks such as the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform and the EIC’s portfolios and specific taxonomy. The report identifies topics, including climate-adaption tech, neurotech, digital and network security and critical raw materials, as areas deserving of further research and development.
The report provides insights for the EIC to anticipate technological developments and address potential security concerns, ensuring the EU's position at the forefront of global innovation.

Read some insights from the blog. 

(Dis)Entangling the Future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of quantum technologies

This report documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under the FUTURINNOV. The workshop, held on 24 April 2024, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology readiness levels (TRLs) and within the EIC's Quantum technologies portfolio. Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects.
These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of nine key topics:
•quantum computers
•quantum sensing
•quantum algorithms for lattice-based computational fluid dynamics models
•materials for quantum
•Artificial Intelligence for quantum
•error correction; solid-state scalability
•quantum for Artificial Intelligence
•quantum as a service – metacloud

Furthermore, the workshop identified additional wild cards with high novel-ty and disruptive potential such as quantum sensing AI on edge and molecular spin qubits. Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and promotion of these emerging technologies, which can be grouped under the following categories: technical advancements; investment and infrastructure support; cross-sector collaboration; regulatory navigation; talent acquisition; market maturity; and application utility.

Materialising the Future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of advance materials for energy

This report documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise on emerging technologies in advanced materials for energy. Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects. These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of nine key topics: 

• accelerated material design/synthesis
• biomaterials as part of the circular economy
• advanced materials allowing new applications
• closed loop battery recycling
• innovations in catalysis
• organic batteries for sustainable energy storage
• design to performance bat-teries
• design to cost batteries
• electrochemical water treatment

Furthermore, the workshop identified additional wild cards with high novelty and disruptive potential such as: circularity of materials (safe and sustainable by design); membranes / separators; process optimisation; 3D printing of electrode materials for energy and environmental engineering applications; and use of AI for the study of materials.
Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and promotion of these emerging technologies, which can be grouped under the following categories: governance and compliance frameworks; funding; collaboration and knowledge exchange; sustainable and efficient development; infrastructure and technological advancement and limita-tions; industry and market dynamics and constraints; innovation and risk management; supply chain and raw materials; and talent development.

Imagine the future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations
in the field of medical imaging and AI

This report documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under
the FUTURINNOV project. The workshop, held on 17 September 2024, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology
readiness levels (TRLs), within the EIC's Medical Imaging and AI portfolio.
Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of pa-
tents, publications, and EU-funded projects. These signals were then scrutinised for their significance
to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of eight key
topics: 

• generative AI for healthcare
• digital twins
• multimodal data analysis
• explainable AI in medical imaging
• application of AI to specific diseases/conditions
• XR - augmented and virtual realities
• tensor-valued diffusion encoding
• AI-generated synthetic data for training AI

Furthermore, the workshop identified additional wild cards with high novelty and disruptive potential such as: blockchain, edge computing and differential privacy for secure, AI-driven medical imaging and collaborative healthcare
optimisation and quantum medical imaging.
Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and pro-
motion of these emerging technologies, which can be grouped under the following categories: Tech-
nological advancements and cross-sector applications; data infrastructure, AI models, and regulatory
frameworks; workforce, education and societal factors; clinical efficiency and patient outcomes; trust,
ethics, and AI adoption; financial pressures and industry investment in AI healthcare.

Mobilising the future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of mobility

This report documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under the FUTURINNOV project. The workshop, held on 16 October 2024, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology readiness levels (TRLs), within the broad Mobility domain, broken-down into four key areas: 

• transport systems, networks and multimodality
• automotive and roads
• rail/freight and logistics 
• aviation and airports.

Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects. These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of 22 different key topics across the key areas above. These signals can be seen as hotspots of innovation that deserve the EIC’s attention for possible future support.
Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and promotion of these emerging technologies, which are presented in the report as drivers, enablers and barriers, and analysed specifically in each of the 4 key areas.

Securing the Future Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of digital and network security

This science for policy brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of FUTURINNOV project. The workshop, held on 13 November 2024, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals on emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology readiness levels (TRLs), within the digital and network security domain. Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects.
These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts which led to the identification of eight key topics: 

• deepfake detection
• quantum-resistant algorithms
• interoperability for end-to-end encrypted messaging systems
• privacy and security in virtual reality 
• false data injection attack detection
• inter-satellite communication
• privacy-preserving machine learning
• tiny solar-powered drones capable of near-perpetual flight

Participants also highlighted various factors that could influence the development, adoption, and promotion of these emerging technologies including: tensions between privacy and security, emerging geopolitical threats, technological and regulatory enablers, trust and transparency, and the economic barriers that shape technological development and adoption.

Healing the Future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of cell and gene therapies

This brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, in the context of FUTURINNOV collaboration between the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), aiming to support the EIC's strategic intelligence through foresight and other anticipatory methodologies.
The workshop, held online on 15 May 2025, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals related to emerging technologies and breakthrough innovation, across all technology readiness levels (TRLs), within cell and gene therapies.
Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects. These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts, which led to the identification of seven key topics: in vivo gene therapy; microphysiological pre-clinical models; stem cells in multiple applications; new tools for advanced tissue delivery; in silico & AI; conversion of tumour cells; and emerging genome and epigenome-based therapies.
Participants also highlighted various contextual factors that could influence the development, adoption, and uptake of emerging technologies within this field, including in domains such as: competitiveness and geopolitics; talent and expertise; cross-border and cross-sector collaboration; funding, economic and market conditions; regulatory, safety and ethical challenges; health and RDI ecosystems; and infrastructure and manufacturing.

Embodying the Future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of human-like AI systems

This technology foresight brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, in the context of FUTURINNOV. The workshop, held online on 19 June 2025, had as its primary goal the evaluation and prioritisation of trends and signals related to emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations across all technology readiness levels (TRLs) within human-like AI systems. Signals for the workshop were gathered from experts, literature review, and text/data mining of patents, publications, and EU-funded projects.
These signals were then scrutinised for their significance to the field's future by a diverse group of sector experts, which led to the identification of twelve key topics: enhancing human-AI collaboration; trustworthy and explainable AI; neurosymbolic AI; general-purpose neuro-symbolic methods; personalised medicine; embodied intelligence; emotion-aware AI; multi-agent frameworks; human-AI collective cognition; brain-inspired AI; addressing AI’s energy demand; and next generation LLMs.
Several contextual factors that shape the development and uptake of AI are highlighted across social, technological, economical, environmental and political and regulatory domains, including: AI literacy; inter-disciplinary and inclusive development of models; benchmarking practices; and sustainability.
The outcomes of this exercise may be used to inform future funding topics for EIC Challenges and other EC calls. They can also provide input for EIC and EC reports, as well as supporting other EU policy initiatives.

Observing the Future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of ocen observation

This technology foresight brief documents the process and findings of a horizon scanning exercise, part of a series under the FUTURINNOV. The workshop, held online on 12 November 2025, focused on the identification, evaluation, and prioritisation of emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations across all technology readiness levels (TRLs) in the field of ocean observation. Signals were collected through expert inputs, literature review, and text and data mining of patents, scientific publications, and EU-funded research and innovation projects.

These signals were subsequently assessed by a multidisciplinary group of experts, leading to the prioritisation of eight key observation technologies: autonomous eDNA and eRNA samplers; lab-on-chip systems; cost-effective and modular sensors; data fusion between Earth observation and in-situ measurements; distributed acoustic sensing; AI-enhanced passive acoustic sensing; deep learning-enabled imaging; and flow cytometry and particle-based high-frequency observations of plankton.

In addition, four enabling technological and innovation fields were identified as critical for advancing ocean observation capabilities: expanding in-situ observation infrastructures; data interoperability and integration; autonomous surface and underwater vehicles; and artificial intelligence. The brief also highlights a range of contextual factors shaping the development and uptake of ocean observation technologies across social, technological, economic, environmental, and political and regulatory dimensions. These include challenges related to data standards and taxonomic expertise, tensions between budget constraints and increasing monitoring demands, the need for real-time detection in the face of accelerating environmental change, and geopolitical dynamics influencing international cooperation and the governance of dual-use technologies. 

Powering the Future - Horizon scanning for emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations in the field of mid- to long-duration energy storage

This technology foresight report presents the process and findings of a Horizon Scanning exercise conducted in the context of FUTURINNOV. The workshop, held online on 4 February 2026, focused on the identification, evaluation, and prioritisation of emerging technologies and breakthrough innovations across all technology readiness levels (TRLs) in the field of mid- to long-duration energy storage. Signals were collected through expert inputs, desk research, and text and data mining of patents, scientific publications, and EU-funded research and innovation projects.

These signals were subsequently assessed by a multidisciplinary group of experts, leading to the prioritisation of a diverse set of energy storage technologies. These include electrochemical solutions such as solid-state, sodium-ion, and flow batteries; thermal systems such as Carnot and thermophotovoltaic heat batteries; and mechanical and hybrid approaches including pumped storage hydropower and battolyser architectures. In addition, several enabling technological and innovation areas were identified as critical to advancing the field, including developments in digital technologies, CRM-free and recyclable materials, advanced heat exchange and heating systems, and second-life batteries for hybridisation.

The report also highlights a range of contextual factors shaping the development and deployment of energy storage technologies across social, technological, economic, environmental, and policy domains. These include infrastructure readiness, circularity and end-of-life management, environmental impacts, and regulatory and permitting frameworks. The findings point to an increasingly diversified and interconnected portfolio of energy storage solutions, where convergence and hybridisation across technologies are becoming central.
The outcomes of this exercise can inform future EIC Challenges and other European Commission funding calls, contribute to EIC and EC strategic intelligence, and support broader EU policy initiatives related to energy systems, decarbonisation, and industrial competitiveness.