The Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform was one of the European Technology Platforms that brought together industry, research and public authorities to define a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for the sector. In Finland, a modular foresight process was organised to develop national priorities as Finland's contribution to the European agenda.

The process was based on RPM Screening. More than 100 researchers and business people across five parts of the industry proposed and scored 146 research themes in just seven weeks. Robust Portfolio Modelling identified promising themes, and participatory workshops discussed the results of the multi-criteria analyses. After a demonstration, all value-chain coordinators chose to use the method, and in their workshops it helped focus and catalyse discussion.

More information: http://sra.tkk.fi/ 

WoodWisdom-Net was one of the ERA-NETs supported by the European Union, to deepen collaboration between European funding organisations in wood material science, coordinate the use of research funds and promote the competitiveness and sustainability of the European forest cluster. Its 18 partners from eight countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom) decided to launch a co-funded research programme in wood material science.

To shape the research agenda, a participatory bottom-up consultation was designed with the Systems Analysis Laboratory of Helsinki University of Technology. More than 400 researchers, industrialists and other stakeholders took part and proposed 317 research ideas, which were assessed online and prioritised with RPM Screening. Facilitated workshops discussed, validated and synthesised the results, and network analyses supported the identification of possible collaboration networks. The process ended with three groups of funders preparing joint calls for research proposals.

For more information: http://woodwisdom.tkk.fi/ 

Although foresight has become increasingly relevant at the international level, little methodological attention has been given to the challenges that arise from the geographical dispersion of participants or from their national and regional idiosyncrasies. This article addresses these challenges in connection with coordination tools for the Open Method of Coordination, most notably ERA-NETs and European Technology Platforms, which the European Commission facilitates to contribute to the establishment of the European Research Area.

The successful management of these tools calls for multi-stakeholder processes, which place demands such as scalability, modularity and dependability on the design and deployment of foresight methodologies. The article reports experiences from a foresight process conducted in Finland to support the development of the Strategic Research Agenda of the Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform. The process was based on the RPM Screening methodology, which combined the Internet-based solicitation and assessment of research themes, the identification of promising themes through Robust Portfolio Modelling (RPM), and participatory workshops where the results of the multi-criteria analyses were discussed.

The encouraging results of the process and the broader potential of Internet-based decision support systems are discussed in view of European coordination tools.

Könnölä, T., Salo, A., & Brummer, V. (2011). Foresight for European coordination: Developing national priorities for the Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform. International Journal of Technology Management, 54(4). https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTM.2011.041583 

This article addresses the challenges of organising future-oriented consultation processes within European coordination tools for the Open Method of Coordination, such as ERA-NETs, which the European Commission promotes towards the establishment of the European Research Area. It reports experiences from a consultation process organised within WoodWisdom-Net (ERA-NET) to create an international research agenda, based on the long-term challenges of the European forest sector and on the identification of gaps and new opportunities in wood material science and engineering.

The process involved eighteen funding organisations from eight European countries and over 400 participants, most notably leading researchers and industrialists. It combined the Internet-based solicitation and assessment of research issues, Robust Portfolio Modelling (RPM) to identify promising research issues, and facilitated workshops where the results were discussed, validated and synthesised. Extensive network analyses supported the identification of possible collaboration networks and the development of joint calls for proposals.

Drawing on these experiences, the article discusses the broader potential of Internet-based decision support tools and participatory workshops in promoting foresight within ERA-NETs and other European coordination tools.

Brummer, V., Könnölä, T., & Salo, A. (2008). Foresight within ERA-NETs: Experiences from the preparation of an international research program. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 75(4), 483–495. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2008.02.005 

Healthy and Sustainable Diets, Circularity, Diversity: Pathways in Transition for Resilient European Agriculture and Food Systems in Times of Global Crisis (6th SCAR Foresight)
Explorative scenarios built upon the transition pathways with a deep dive on natural resources - land and water

The Standing Committee on Agricultural Research has a long tradition in the European Commission and represents the link of DG RTDI to the Member States in Agricultural Research. SCAR Foresight and the respective reports can be traced back to discussions and a working group for the European Commission in 2005/2006. On this basis, the first SCAR Foresight was conducted to highlight developments in the agricultural sector, new opportunities and better links to the research system. The areas of SCAR are broad: agriculture and fisheries, food systems, bioeconomy, and forestry.

Until now, five Foresight activities were under way , and the EC and Member States have used Foresight recommendations in planning their research coordination activities established under Horizon Europe (HE).

The 6th SCAR Foresight study is building on the 5th SCAR Foresight study and its transition pathways with adding explorative scenarios to the pathways (opening up the topics of the pathways once more), and linking them to a deep dive on natural resources, land and water. The three main transition pathways identified in the 5th SCAR Foresight were still judged as valid but need to be pursued in a new context. This context is marked by poly- and permacrises and new game changers like high-tech innovations as well as recent geopolitical developments and European political guidelines.

The 6th SCAR Foresight has the general objective of supporting a safe and just transition towards a more sustainable, competitive, and resilient agriculture and food sector including fisheries, forestry and bioeconomy. The EU political guidelines and the new political agenda under the new European Commission are taken into account. Results of the 6th SCAR Foresight will be provided as inputs to the FP10 Work Programme, to the strategic approach to EU agricultural research and innovation and the Food 2030 R&I initiative as well as to any other relevant and upcoming strategies and initiatives, at the national, European as well as at global level.

This report offers an in-depth foresight assessment that critically evaluates and questions the foundational assumptions of European environmental policies related to the Green Deal. To enhance the resilience of these frameworks, the two-year study utilises a comprehensive set of methods, including impact wheel analysis, Ishikawa diagrams, cross-impact analysis, semi-structured interviews, and causal layered analysis. This approach reveals the cascading effects, entrenched cognitive biases, and intricate interdependencies present in policy design. These techniques facilitate a detailed examination of specific policy areas while providing a systemic perspective on how the connections among circular economy, bioeconomy, clean air and health, and the decarbonisation of transport impact overall sustainability results. By harnessing these diverse foresight techniques, the assessment reveals that conventional policy narratives are often oversimplified, obscuring risks and trade-offs that, if unchallenged, may impede a successful transition to a sustainable Europe. The impact wheel and Ishikawa diagrams facilitate the structured identification of primary and secondary effects, while the cross-impact analysis maps the interactive dynamics between assumptions. Semi-structured interviews provide nuanced stakeholder perspectives that uncover underlying worldviews and metaphors shaping policy discourse when synthesised via causal layered analysis. The study offers actionable recommendations for enhancing policy resilience, promoting integrated governance, and fostering adaptive strategies capable of addressing the multipronged challenges posed by environmental uncertainty.

Source: Eionet - ETCs- ETC Sustainability transitions (ETC ST) - Products