A new initiative to support EU Member States in embedding long-term, anticipatory thinking into decision-making at every level—national, regional, and local. 

Future-Oriented Policymaking is an ongoing joint project by the European Commission Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and the EU Policy Lab of the Joint Research Centre. The project supports foresight capacity building in EU Member States and integrating future-oriented thinking into decision-making. 

Get involved!
The success of the project depends on the active participation of policymakers, practitioners, and citizens. Whether you are an experienced foresight practitioner or entirely new to the concept, we welcome your insights.

Share your story: What has worked well in your context? What challenges have you faced? How can we make foresight more relevant to your needs? Reach out at JRC-foresight@ec.europa.eu  

Join our beta testing group*: Be among the first to try out our new toolkit and training materials. Your feedback will help us refine and improve these resources for everyone.

Take our survey: Help us understand your needs and shape the final deliverables.
> Survey

* Places for beta testing are limited, and we are committed to working with a diverse range of partners. If you are interested, please fill in the survey by 5/09/2025 . We will confirm participation after that date.

Institutionalising future-oriented policymaking is a collective journey, which requires commitment, curiosity, and courage: from leaders, civil servants, and citizens alike. Let’s work together to make foresight a cornerstone of European policymaking.

Stay tuned for updates and don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to contribute to this exciting initiative.

> Future-oriented Policymaking 

Harnessing Foresight for Future-Oriented Policymaking is an ongoing joint project by the European Commission Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and the EU Policy Lab of the Joint Research Centre.

The current world - defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), requires decisionmakers to sharpen their capacity to look ahead, think and work in a proactive, systemic and creative way, amongst others by using foresight.

The project supports foresight capacity building in EU Member States and integrating future-oriented thinking into decision-making. It underpins the implementation of the ComPAct - Enhancing the European Administrative Space and its ʺPublic Administration Skills Agendaʺ pillar. Through this pillar the Commission aims to support EU Member States in their efforts to build resilient, attractive, transparent, and high performing public administrations by equipping them with a wide range of tools to upskill and reskill their workforce.

Future-oriented Policymaking - project actions

• Create tools for capacity building of Member States’ public administrations at national, regional and local levels for future-oriented policymaking
• Stimulate dynamic, enhanced cooperation among public administrations on integrating foresight in policymaking
• Promote a future-oriented policymaking culture in the EU and its Member State

What to expect
By the end of the project, policymakers and public servants across Europe can expect a suite of resources designed to make future-oriented policymaking accessible and actionable:
- Online training series for policymakers in EU Member States (which will become available on EU Academy)

- Adap table pathways toolkit to embed foresight in policymaking

- Community building elements

How can you get involved?
The success of the project depends on the active participation of policymakers, practitioners, and citizens. Whether you are an experienced foresight practitioner or entirely new to the concept, we welcome your insights.

Take our survey: Help us under stand your needs and shape the final deliverables.

Share your story or join our beta-testing group: What has worked well in your context? What challenges have you faced? How can we make foresight more relevant to your needs? Reach out at JRC-foresight@ec.europa.eu

Read more on the blog
Stay updated and follow the project page.   

Applications are welcome from individuals and teams who are:
🔹 18–35 or those older with under 1 year of foresight experience
🧩 Passionate about systems-level change and long-term impact
💡Committed to learning, collaboration, community, and network-building
🌏 Living and/or from anywhere in the world. We especially encourage those anchored in Asia and Africa (including MENA), the Caribbean, Latin America, Pacific Islands, and the Balkans
⚡Have a bold and impactful project idea that can be enhanced, scaled or deepened with foresight
🌱 Are working on projects connected to Climate & Just Transitions, Democracy & Sustainable Development, Emerging Technologies, Futures Methods From Around the World & Indigenous Futures, Intergenerational Fairness, Nuclear Security, or Peacebuilding.

The fellowship offers:
🌍 A global peer network
🤝 A project partner (usually an expert foresight practitioner)
💰 A US$1000 kick-starter fund and opportunity to win a $10,000 prize
🕸️ Opportunity to be part of regional or thematic hubs
🌐 Access to relevant events, projects and our bi-weekly sector news and opportunities email
📚Foresight capability building via our introductory training course

👉Start your application today!

The deadline to apply is July 31, 2025.