Foresight has long been used to 'wire up' innovation systems, and exercises have been carried out at corporate, regional, national and international levels. Innovation ecosystems, however, extend across organisational, sectoral, regional, national and international layers, and both the development and the diffusion of innovations depend on framework conditions within and across these layers. The interconnectedness of the layers has so far received little attention in foresight literature and practice.

The article develops the concept of multi-layered foresight and proposes a framework for its design and management. The framework links the issues addressed (societal challenges and coordination), the inputs and incentives of stakeholders, and three facets of outcomes: knowledge, relations and capabilities. It is applied to the FP7 Personal Health Systems (PHS) Foresight project (2012–2014), which explored a field characterised by multiple disciplines, communities of practice, technologies and geographical contexts, and by fragmented development communities, market barriers and duplication of efforts. The project combined a literature review, interviews, social network analysis of European R&D projects, bibliometric and patent analyses and 39 case studies. A Web 2.0 platform with up to 900 registered members was used to submit, comment on and assess 42 visions of personal health systems in 2030. Two scenario workshops with 55 participants followed, the second of which developed a success scenario, and a strategic plan was prepared in dialogue with stakeholders.

The findings indicate that systemic interconnections within and across innovation systems should be reflected in the design and implementation of a foresight exercise as well as in its recommendations. The impact of foresight is likely to increase when activities in multiple layers are examined and engaged, and when strategies are designed in a concerted way. Online participation broadened the reach of the exercise, but it was mainly the interviews and workshops that built capabilities which stakeholders could apply in their own organisations.

Pombo-Juárez, L., Könnölä, T., Miles, I., Saritas, O., Schartinger, D., Amanatidou, E., & Giesecke, S. (2017). Wiring up multiple layers of innovation ecosystems: Contemplations from Personal Health Systems Foresight. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 115, 278–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.04.018 

In 2024, the Finnish Society for Futures Studies (FSFS) introduced the first volume of the book Our World of Futures Studies as a Mosaic. Expanding on the ambition and objectives of the first volume and complementing the mosaic of diverse approaches to futures studies and foresight with perspectives from across the globe, this is the second installment, Our World of Futures Studies as a Mosaic, Part 2.

Similarly to Part 1, this new volume seeks to recognize and draw insights from the variety of contexts, traditions, and perspectives that together enrich the field of futures studies. Adhering to the metaphor of a mosaic, the series continues to conceptualize each contribution as a unique piece of a larger composition. Rather than striving for an exhaustive representation, the focus remains on crafting a reflective and inspirational collection that underscores the richness and diversity inherent in the field. Authors were encouraged to contribute with chapters that reflect the histories, traditions, schools of thoughts, people, practices, and forward-looking perspectives of their respective regions or networks, thereby fostering mutual learning and deeper understanding within the global futures studies community. It is through such collaborative efforts that we aim to advance the construction of this intricate mosaic, layer by layer and perspective by perspective.

With its twelve chapters, Our World of Futures Studies as a Mosaic, Part 2, weaves together texts from five continents, offering local and regional contributions discussing futures studies and foresight to the readers. The chapters marked as peer-reviewed have undergone an formal double blind review process, while the other chapters have been reviewed by the editors and, in some cases, also by other experts.

As language shapes culture and communication, for this publication, the authors were invited to provide an abstract in their local language as well as reflect on their local/regional languages and the concepts used in futures studies.

Helsinki, Finland May 26, 2026

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).