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    Horizon scanning — tips and tricksJuly 2023

    A practical guide - Eionet Report

    This document provides guidance on how to conduct a structured horizon scanning process to identify emerging developments that could have potential impact in the future, and in particular on the environment. It starts with an overview of the guide (Chapter 1) and an introduction to horizon scanning (Chapter 2) in connection with the concept of futures literacy. It then provides a step-by-step approach for conducting a structured horizon scanning process (Chapter 3), including a variety
    of diverse sources for spotting signals, different frameworks for signal scanning and several options to unpack and analyse the collected signals and patterns of change through creative methods and exercises. It also proposes a few different and complementary ways of communicating the findings to relevant stakeholders, networks and communities. Lastly, it suggests some tools (Chapter 4) that can be used to strengthen the scanning process. The annexes offer a detailed comparison of such tools and a glossary of terms related to futures literacy.

    Posted on: 30/01/2025

    Last Edited: 4 months ago

    FOD EEA Urban Mobility1November 2020 - October 2021

    FOD EEA Urban Mobility 1:

    The aim of the project was to scan the horizon for emerging issues that may affect what urban mobility might look like in Europe in 2050. Furthermore, implications of these possible developments for air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, noise, land use, and in turn for the health and well-being of the inhabitants of European cities were explored. The emerging issues identified contributed to some of the key questions that were identified as part of the EEA’s urban Sustainability Conceptual Framework, such as how cities can look past the personal car era and reimagine their streets as pathway for recovery, built around walking, biking, and public transit. The outcomes of the project included six factsheets on emerging issues related to urban mobility and their impact on health and the environment, including trends, uncertainties and impacts for environment, health and related policy making, including sources of evidence, as well as three possible narratives with visuals on urban mobility in 2050, where two or more of the emerging issues are combined in different but meaningful ways, and a final short report describing the methodology and references used.

    FOD EEA Urban Mobility 2:

    The purpose of the project was to strengthen the outputs of the previous contract (European urban mobility 2050), which covered a horizon scan for emerging issues that may affect what urban mobility might look like in Europe in 2050. Specifically, the study produced a strengthened and enriched version of the six emerging issues identified and developed in the previous contract, two additional emerging issues identified as part of the previous contract but not developed, namely ‘New and upcoming business models for delivery and mobility‘, and ‘Combination of V2X and IoT’, mind-map representations of the three narratives identified in the previous contract illustrating the key elements, connections and implications on health and environment at three spatial levels: individual, city, and regional / network of cities, and a 4-page briefing that summarises the process and outputs from this contract and the previous one. The briefing was designed to inform EEA’s audience of the ongoing forward-looking work associated with urban mobility.

    Posted on: 29/01/2025

    Last Edited: 4 months ago

    FOD STORIES 20501November 2020 - May 2021

    Stories from 2050: radical forward looking imagery of sustainability opportunities and challenges ahead

    This project aimed at exploring non-conventional, if not radical, but nevertheless credible futures at a time horizon 2050. This was achieved by a combination of desk research of scientific and grey literature as well as social media scanning, including more unique information resources such as reaching out to activist communities, popular journals and other materials outside the conventional radar on topics relating toward the Green Deal and how to establish a sustainable future. Further, the service developed challenging, emotional and provoking scenarios in the form of stories that contain a “what-if” point of view. Therefore, the narratives include drivers of change, future challenges, possible tensions, consequences of failure and unlikely high-impact "wild card" events.

    The project website can be accessed here 

    Posted on: 28/01/2025

    Last Edited: 4 months ago

    Mission Area: Healthy Oceans, Seas, and Coastal and Inland WatersJuly 2021

    Foresight on Demand Brief in Support of the Horizon Europe Mission Board

    This report provides the findings from the ‘Foresight on Demand’ project supporting the Horizon Europe
    Mission Board for Healthy Oceans, Seas, Coastal and Inland Waters in its task of defining specific
    Mission(s) to be addressed in Horizon Europe. The overarching goal of the project was to support the
    reflections of the Mission Board from a forward-looking perspective.

    The team of experts was set up by the ‘Foresight on Demand’ consortium to provide the Board with wellversed
    expertise in both foresight methodology as well as thematic developments on the future of
    oceans and water. The objective was to think along with the board and to stimulate the debates by
    raising surprising and challenging issues based on forward-looking analysis and exploration. The project
    provided the Mission Board with new information, (systemic) insights and/or alternative future visions
    that connect the extremely multi-dimensioned topics tackled by this Mission Board.

    The project had started with the scoping phase of identifying focal areas of which results were discussed
    in the meeting with the Mission Board. Subsequently, the foresight team explored further future
    uncertainties and knowledge gaps via a real-time Delhi survey to stakeholders. The scoping phase
    began with the scanning of 33 foresight reports looking towards 2050, foresight databases and news
    feeds to address long-term developments and emerging signals of change. In particular, the foresight
    expert team developed five focal areas, which were presented to the Mission Board to provide
    interconnected insights as well as challenging and provocative ideas to enrich their work. The five focal
    areas are summarised in the table below:

    After the initial phase of scanning and analysing emerging issues and synthesising the findings into five
    focal areas the results were discussed with the Mission Board. In the meeting the discussion led the
    Mission Board request the foresight team to continue the foresight work and identify further data and
    knowledge gaps related to oceans and waters, the recovery of oceans and waters and their role in
    climate change mitigation.

    In line with foresight practice as well as with the Mission Board’s explicit desire to involve a wider public,
    the study engaged stakeholders via a real-time Delphi method highly suitable to address future
    uncertainties. The Delphi method is a structured group communication process, dealing with subjects,
    on which often unsure and incomplete knowledge is available, that are judged upon by experts. The
    idea is that the respondents can learn from the views of others, without being unduly influenced by the
    hierarchies or other societal structures and power relations.
    Invitations to the survey were sent to stakeholder groups in different sectors of society, in particular:
    research and development, policy, industry and civil society. Approx. 3000 European stakeholders were
    invited. The survey platform was open two weeks in February 2020 leading to the total of 238 registered
    participants of which 138 finished the survey.

    Participants assessed the total of 15 future statements and proposed new ones to be considered by the
    Mission Board, in three areas: i) oceans and other water ecosystems, ii) the recovery of healthy oceans
    and waters and iii) the role of oceans and waters in climate mitigation. The results of the assessments
    presented in mean values are summarised in the following table in each of the three areas.

    The findings form the survey can be summarised on each of the areas as follows:

    • Oceans and other water ecosystems: In this area, all proposed issues are accepted as
      important but, with the current attitude towards marine and water ecosystems, respondents
      believed that actions will not be sustained properly. The reason for this lack of consistency
      between “right things to do” and what is actually done probably resides in cultural gaps that
      make it difficult to pass from theoretical analyses and legislation to action, with the reversal of
      current trends. Nonetheless, the survey indicates consensus about the adoption of the
      ecosystem approach, recognising that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an
      integral component of ecosystems
      and emphasizing the need for collaboration between the
      scientific community, the economic sector, policymakers and the public at large.
    • The recovery of healthy oceans and waters: In this area, the survey showed a remarkable
      consistency, from all stakeholders, on the actions contributing to healthy oceans and waters.
      This point could almost guarantee the success of the mission as it seems that the society
      understands the enormous contribution of healthy oceans and waters on the planet earth.
      Although the list of what can be achieved in the near future could be endless, the fact that we
      have to include society at large in addressing challenges, should be our first step.
    • The role of oceans and waters in climate mitigation: The respondents provided a global
      impression that Europe can be leader in several fields of climate mitigation. If, however, the
      rest of the world is not addressing these efforts of climate mitigation, the role of Europe will not
      have significant impact. There is no single major technological solution that, alone, would curb
      the climate change, a goal that might be achieved by a mix of technologies and regulations, at
      the right geographic scale, and as early as possible. Furthermore, positive and negative
      impacts of each technology have to be assessed carefully as very little is still known on the
      mid-term and long-term impacts of the different technologies available today. Much more
      research and stakeholder cooperation are required to select the right technologies and
      the optimum strategies on time
      , in order to avoid unmanageable trends.
    • Further areas to be explored: Next to the topics proposed by the foresight expert team,
      stakeholders were asked to suggest other topics that should be understood better and acted
      upon in the EU. Three main topics emerged: research and research infrastructure, civil
      society, and corporate social responsibility
      .

    Final remarks and recommendations

    The first part of the foresight study led to the descriptions of five possible focal areas for European
    innovation action in the realm of oceans and waters: 1. Climate-resilient coastlines, 2. Clean water for
    the blue planet, 3. Vital aquatic ecosystems, 4. Open digital twin of oceans and waters, 5. Humans at
    sea. All these focal areas have similar magnitudes, notably if we consider an extensive view of "humans
    at sea" not only as an island network but as a continuum between a vulnerable and densely populated
    low elevation zone and a potentially harmful but also rich coastal ocean. In view of addressing the focal
    areas or their elements in the future actions towards sustainable development in Europe, it is worth
    prioritising such efforts in relation with the general theory of systems that establishes the hierarchy of
    systems in three spheres showing that human activities and economy are nested into natural systems
    and must obey their laws. Traditional illustrations of sustainability, however, show only a small overlap
    of the three spheres, this overlap representing sustainability.

    The real-time Delphi survey confirmed that there is a need for a holistic approach leading to more
    structured actions. This is widely recognized but seldom satisfied. Too specific actions, undertaken while
    ignoring the behaviour of the rest of the ecosystems, may lead to temporary success but will surely not
    improve the overall situation. This calls for enhanced efforts in improving ocean literacy at all levels,
    from the scientific community (too focused on reductionistic approaches) to the economic, social and
    industrial sectors. Furthermore, the conceptual landscape embracing water ecosystems (linking oceanic
    and inland waters) is very fragmented, with the high risk that while fixing specific problems other
    problems are created. Hence, we conclude with three recommendations.

    1. Adopt a holistic approach for balanced actions that calls for improving water literacy at all
      levels of society.
    2. Create networks of interest using a common (not too technical) language embracing water
      ecosystems (including both oceanic and inland waters) to overcome fragmentation in society.
    3. Conduct holistic impact assessments and establish monitoring mechanisms of measures
      implemented to fix specific problems to avoid creating in parallel new problems in complex
      ecosystems.

    Posted on: 20/01/2025

    Last Edited: 6 months ago

    Foresight on Demand: “Foresight towards the 2nd Strategic Plan for Horizon Europe”July 2023

    This is the final report from a foresight study that aimed at supporting the development of the Strategic Plan of Horizon Europe (2025-2027). The study lasted for 18 months and involved a wide range of activities that this report aims at presenting.

    These activities aimed at providing early-stage strategic intelligence and sense-making contributions – issues, trends, perspectives, ideas - that could contribute novel elements to the more structured processes of strategic planning that were to follow. The work followed two important directions that were recommended by EFFLA (2012)1 as core elements of bringing foresight into EU R&I policy: knowledge-based review and broad engagement.

    Knowledge based review was conducted with the help of the 40 experts who constituted the team that worked on the project. All these experts have contributed as authors to the authorship of the different chapters of this report. About 300 additional experts contributed to the project through its numerous workshops that helped shape the scenarios and ideas about their policy implications, and through membership in the on-line platform of the project at www.futures4europe.eu, which reached 307 people. Last, we acknowledge the 943 experts who responded to our final consultation survey on the implications of our foresight for the directions of EU R&I policy.

    The foresight process
    The foresight process in support of the 2nd Strategic Plan comprised a wide spectrum of activities:
    • As a reference point for the exploratory work, the explicit and implicit impact assumptions of the 1st Strategic Plan were identified and visualised with the help of a qualitative system analysis and modelling tool for causal loop analysis.
    • An exploratory analysis of forward-looking sources (e.g. foresight reports, web-based horizon scanning) was conducted to identify relevant trends and signals of unexpected developments. These were discussed in online workshops and on www.futures4europe.eu.
    • An outlook on emerging developments in the global and European context of EU R&I policy was developed drawing on a major online workshop in autumn 2021 with some 60 participants, experts and policy makers, who worked with multi-level context scenarios and specific context narratives about emerging disruptions.
    • On that basis and in close consultation with the European Commission involving another major workshop in February 2022 which brought together 80 participants, Expert Teams were set up to develop disruptive scenarios in five areas of major interest. Each team ran several internal workshops but also involved further experts and Commission staff in their work, both through the online platform and through a final policy-oriented workshop. The foresight work within the areas of interest resulted in five deep dives on the following topics:
    > Climate change, Research, and Innovation: Radical Options from Social Change to Geoengineering
    > Hydrogen Economy – A radical alternative
    > The EU in a Volatile New World - The challenge of global leadership
    > Global Commons
    > Transhumanist Revolutions
    • Further areas of interest identified since were explored through review papers aiming to capture major trends, developments and scenario sketches in relation to further disruptive developments
    > Social Confrontations
    > Artificial General Intelligence: Issues and Opportunities
    > The Interpenetration of Criminal and Lawful Economic Activities
    > The Future of Health
    • A third major workshop took place in October 2022 bringing together all the thematic strands of work and addressing possible R&I policy implications from this work. Participation in this workshop reached 250 individuals over 2 days.
    • Building on the workshop, the online Dynamic Argumentative Delphi survey Research4Futures collect suggestions from further experts and citizens about the implications of this foresight work for the priorities of EU R&I policy.

    This foresight study has been the most widely engaging foresight exercise yet aiming to support EU R&I policy. Through this broad engagement, the study did not only develop intelligence for the 2nd Strategic Plan of Horizon Europe but also contributed to the development of an EU R&I foresight community, one that is an asset for future R&I policies across Europe. 

    Posted on: 30/11/2024

    Last Edited: 6 months ago

    Tanja Schindler1

    Posted on: 18/11/2024

    Last Edited: 6 months ago

    Tanja Schindler1

    Posted on: 18/11/2024

    Last Edited: 6 months ago

    Dealing with future selves & Extending human perception to new scales07 December - 07 December 2023

    Showcasing thought provoking future scenarios through fictional artifacts

    Project Futures Garden is warmly inviting you to engage with two fictional artifacts that showcase thought provoking future scenarios regarding “Dealing with future selves” and “Extending human perception to new scales”.
    Join us for an immersive and interactive experience!

    Artifacts:

    INWARDS
    The film Inwards invites us to explore new practices and technologies that enhance self-reflection and sharing of emotions, thus helping shape our choices in life and nurture a renewed sense of togetherness.

    >> Watch the teaser for Inwards

    SYMBIOTIC
    The film Symbio tic invites us to explore new ways of inhabiting the perception of other intelligent beings, to embody their experience, their sensory world, their “umwelt” – what they “feel” and how they “think”.

    >> Watch the teaser for Symbiotic

    Who Should Attend? 

    • EU citizens interested in reflecting on and discussing future fictional artifacts, thus fostering new ideas and attitudes that may reshape their present lives and their future
    • Policymakers looking for fresh perspectives derived from future scenarios
    • Futurists, designers, and behavioral scientists exploring the power of citizen engagement in molding future imaginaries

    Posted on: 13/11/2024

    Last Edited: 6 months ago

    Stories from 2050September 2021

    Radical, inspiring and thought-provoking narratives around challenges and opportunities of our futures

    Stories and narratives are a powerful tool of Futures Literacy and Futures Thinking. In recent years, they have been fighting for attention next to scenarios and trend research within the Foresight discipline, and there is a good reason for it. Adding up to 21 stories, the narratives in this booklet deal with the planetary emergency, the existential threat of climate change and the biodiversity crisis, which are driving the European Green Deal. They were built on ideas by people from all around the world. Some were experts in the field, some purely engaged citizens with a story to tell. Stories from 2050 range from plausible sci-fi stories of the future to fictional fairy tales that provoke abstract thinking. Some stories are hopeful; others are concerning. They are going to stimulate your thinking by providing different perspectives and layers of understanding.

    Posted on: 12/11/2024

    Last Edited: 6 months ago

    Future Forward1


    Future Forward is a 20-lesson program to support (young) people in their exploration of the future. 


    Futures Literacy

    In our ever-changing world, parents, caregivers, teachers, and educators are faced with the challenge of preparing children for a future that is difficult to predict. How can we equip ourselves and younger generations with the necessary tools and skills to navigate the unknown? This is where futures literacy comes into play. While no-one can truly predict the future, by integrating future thinking into education, we acquire the tools to anticipate and navigate the complexities of an uncertain world, fostering innovation, adaptability, and resilience, in line with the goals of the European Year of Skills (May 2023 – May 2024). 

    Future Forward, a 20-lesson program offers a unique opportunity for parents, teachers, and anyone curious about the exploration of the future. This crash course into foresight provides insights into future thinking, anticipation and foresight, opening doors to a better informed and imaginative future.


    The Topics

    The lessons resolve around 5 topics:  

    • Perception of time; How we perceive time is connected to how we understand the future. Explore your perception of time and the future from multiple perspectives to help develop your futures literacy.  

    • Futures mindset; Learn to see the world as a futurist! By challenging assumptions, developing a critical gaze, and understanding the interconnectedness of the world, you can imagine possible and preferable futures.  

    • Multiple futures; There is no single future, but a landscape of constantly emerging and evolving possibilities. Contemplate a plurality of scenarios and visions for some of this century’s most pressing issues.  

    • Investing in imaginations; How do we begin to imagine more than one viable future? When we open our imaginations, the possibilities become endless. We each have the capacity to explore, shape and imagine alternative futures.  

    • Taking action; Imagine your ideal world 20 years in the future. What does it look like? How can you achieve it? Learn how you can take an active role in creating a better and more positive tomorrow.  

    UNESCO champions a capability-based approach to using-the-future. Futures Literacy empowers the innate human capacity to imagine, it is a skill that everyone can develop. In becoming futures literate we enhance our agency, developing our abilities to identify novelty, prepare, adapt and invent as changes occur in the complex world we live in. More reading UNESCO 

    Enjoy your classes at Future Forward

    Co-Curation 

    Future Forward is a co-development of the European Commission and TED-Ed and has been designed in co-creation with our co-curators from the foresight field. 


    Theme 1: Perception of Time in co-curation with the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) by Jennifer Gidley

    WFSF is a UNESCO and UN consultative partner and global NGO with members in over 60 countries, bringing together academics, researchers, practitioners, students and institutions. WFSF offers a global forum for stimulation, exploration and exchange of ideas, visions, and plans for alternative futures, through long-term, big-picture thinking and radical change. Jennifer Gidley is the Former President of WFSF (2009-2017). She is Adjunct Professor, UTS Sydney, a leading international scholar on human-centred futures, and author of The Future: VSI (Oxford).  

    Theme 2: Futures Mindset in co-curation with Teach the Future (TTF) by Lourdes Rodríguez

    The Teach the Future community is dedicated to bring futures thinking to schools, educators, and students around the world. By teaching the future you can equip young people to face uncertainty and help them envision and create their preferred future. Lourdes Rodríguez is global hubs director at Teach the Future. She is a senior foresight consultant, specialized in trends analysis. Recognized as one of the top futurists in Spain by Forbes.  

    Theme 3: Multiple Futures in co-curation with Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) by Ollie Bream McIntosh NGFP’s mission is to identify, accelerate, amplify, and connect a Global South-anchored network of emerging next-generation foresight practitioners to leverage power for transformation. Ollie Bream McIntosh is a researcher and designer specialized in sustainable futures. Formerly a director of several social enterprises, including design studio Social Systems Lab, and an Associate at the University of Nottingham, where he led the design and delivery of an award-winning course in Futures Studies. Ollie now leads the development of new transdisciplinary research ecosystems on the theme of social transformation at Erasmus University Rotterdam. 

    Theme 4: Imagine Futures in co-curation with Association of Professional Futurists (APF) by Stuart Candy

    APF’s mission is to advance the practice of professional foresight by fostering a dynamic, global, diverse, and collaborative community of professional futurists and those committed to futures thinking who expand the understanding, use, and impact of foresight in service to their stakeholders and the world. Stuart Candy, PhD is Director of Situation Lab and Associate Professor of Social Foresight at Parsons School of Design in New York, and Advisor to NASA JPL in Los Angeles. His publications include the edited collection Design and Futures, creativity game The Thing From The Future, and public imagination toolkit The Futures Bazaar, winner of the APF’s inaugural award for Inclusive Foresight.  

    Theme 5: Taking Action in co-curation with UN Global Pulse Finland foresight specialists Tiina Neuvonen, Lucia Soriano Irigaray & Claudia Sáenz Zulueta UN Global Pulse is the Secretary-General’s Innovation Lab.

    They work at the intersection of innovation and the human sciences to strengthen the ability of the United Nations and those it serves to respond and adapt to challenges, and anticipate them in future. Tiina Neuvonen is the Strategic Foresight Lead at UN Global Pulse Finland. She works at the intersection of social sciences, development and innovation. Formerly, she worked on UNESCO’s innovation portfolio, and has a background in strategy consulting and service design. Lucía Soriano Irigaray is a Strategic Foresight Analyst at UN Global Pulse Finland, and focuses on policy innovation. She has a background working on public affairs, international relations and climate change. Claudia Saénz Zulueta is a Strategic Foresight Senior Analyst at UN Global Pulse Finland, specializing in participatory futures and anticipatory strategy. She is driving social impact and innovation and her goal is to empower individuals to shape inclusive and transformative visions of their futures. 

    Lead

    Posted on: 04/11/2024

    Last Edited: 7 months ago

    Futures Garden1February 2023 - November 2023

    Futures Garden: Pioneering Policy Innovation through Speculative Design

    At Futures Garden, we embark on a visionary journey to redefine policy-making for Europe's future. Our unique platform collaborates with leading futurists, innovative designers, and engaged EU citizens to envision a Europe enriched by diverse potential futures, each with its own opportunities and challenges. Our mission? To revolutionize policy creation by intertwining speculative design with creativity, empathy, and analytical insight. Our four-step approach ensures a comprehensive and impactful exploration:

    • Horizon Scanning: We dive into cutting-edge ideas and emerging trends, identifying opportunities that could shape Europe's future.
    • Speculative Design: Our creative process transforms abstract concepts into tangible, thought-provoking scenarios, making future possibilities more accessible and engaging.
    • Citizen Engagement: We delve into the societal implications of these speculative scenarios, gathering diverse perspectives and insights from EU citizens.
    • Policy Reflection: The final step involves analyzing the potential impact of these innovative ideas on policy-making, ensuring that future EU policies are forward-thinking, inclusive, and impactful.

    Creating fictional artifacts through speculative design
    Futures Garden aims at creating inspiring alternative future scenarios through the use of fictional future artifacts that invite to reflection and debate. The pilot project took place in 2023 and addressed two themes:

    • “Dealing with future selves” explores new ways of being, individually and collectively, examines new practices and technologies that enhance self-reflection and sharing of emotions, which help shape our choices in life and nurture a renewed sense of togetherness.
    • “Extending human perception to new scales” explores the richness of non-human intelligences, expanding our attention and appreciation for their unique sensory worlds, their “umwelt” – what they “feel” and how they “think”. In doing so it departs from the human-centric worldview towards a deeper understanding and celebration of life on Earth.

      The resulting fictional artifacts took the form of short, thought-provoking movies – Inwards and Symbiotic – which render the imagined future scenarios more tangible, immersive and engaging.

      🎬 Watch "Inwards" - The 2050s a re a time of deep social reconfiguration. No longer believing in the myth of perpetual economic growth, recipes for self-empowerment, and technological fixes, citizens of Europe seek to regain agency by turning inwards.
      New cultures of emotional excellence and material minimalism emerge, supported by tools for assisted introspection and emotion sharing. In the wake of this quiet revolution, the social contract progressively integrates a renewed sense of togetherness.

      🎬 Watch "Symbiotic" - Set in the Symbiocene era of the 2050s, a time marked by an expanded understanding of intelligence beyond human confines, Symbiotic explores a revolutionary breakthrough. Scientists have created a device that allows humans to experience the perceptions and sensory worlds of other intelligent beings, immersing them in the 'umwelt' of these creatures. This film documents the first groundbreaking experiences through the device, capturing the profound experiences of those who ventured into these new realms of intelligence.

    Initiator
    Commissioned by
    Lead of pilot project

    Posted on: 21/10/2024

    Last Edited: 7 months ago

    Foresight towards the 2nd Strategic Plan for Horizon Europe1June 2021 - May 2023

    This foresight study aimed at supporting the development of the Strategic Plan of Horizon Europe (2025-2027), by providing early-stage strategic intelligence and sense-making that could contribute novel elements to the processes of strategic planning.

    The study, which was launched in mid-2021 and lasted almost two years, has been the most widely engaging foresight exercise yet aiming to support EU R&I policy. Through this broad engagement, the study did not only develop intelligence for the 2nd Strategic Plan of Horizon Europe but also contributed to the development of an EU R&I foresight community hosted by futures4europe.eu, one that is an asset for future R&I policies across Europe.

    The foresight process in support of the 2nd Strategic Plan comprised a wide spectrum of activities:

    • As a reference point for the exploratory work, the explicit and implicit impact assumptions of the 1st Strategic Plan were identified and visualised with the help of a qualitative system analysis and modelling tool for causal loop analysis.
    • An exploratory analysis of forward-looking sources (e.g. foresight reports, web-based horizon scanning) was conducted to identify relevant trends and signals of unexpected developments. These were discussed in online workshops and on futures4europe.eu.
    • An outlook on emerging developments in the global and European context of EU R&I policy was developed drawing on a major online workshop in autumn 2021 with some 60 participants, experts and policy makers, who worked with multi-level context scenarios and specific context narratives about emerging disruptions.
    • On that basis and in close consultation with the European Commission involving another major workshop in February 2022 which brought together 80 participants, Expert Teams were set up to develop disruptive scenarios in five areas of major interest. Each team ran several internal workshops but also involved further experts and Commission staff in their work, both through the online platform and through a final policy-oriented workshop. The foresight work within the five areas of interest resulted in deep dives on the following topics:
      > Climate change, Research, and Innovation: Radical Options from Social Change to Geoengineering
      > Hydrogen Economy – A radical alternative
      > The EU in a Volatile New World - The challenge of global leadership
      > Global Commons
      > Transhumanist Revolutions
    • Further areas of interest identified were explored through review papers aiming to capture major trends, developments and scenario sketches in relation to further disruptive developments:
      > Social Confrontations
      > Artificial General Intelligence: Issues and Opportunities
      > The Interpenetration of Criminal and Lawful Economic Activities
      > The Future of Health
    • A third major workshop took place in October 2022 bringing together all the thematic strands of work and addressing possible R&I policy implications from this work. Participation in this workshop reached 250 individuals over 2 days.
    • Building on the workshop, the online Dynamic Argumentative Delphi survey Research4Futures collected suggestions from almost 950 contributors from Europe and beyond about the implications of this foresight work for the priorities of EU R&I policy.

    The detailed description of the foresight work and the resulting outputs are available in the final report of the project.

    This foresight study has been implemented through the Foresight on Demand framework contract, by a team of 40 experts. About 300 additional experts contributed to the project through its numerous workshops that helped shape the scenarios and their policy implications. 

    Posted on: 21/10/2024