Futures thinking is in our DNA. SAMI was created as the St Andrews Management Institute in 1989, as a joint venture between Shell, the pioneers in scenario planning, and St Andrews University. That powerful mix of academic rigour and practical delivery continues in work and with our people today: Experienced practitioners, world-renowned futures authors, and consultants with first-hand experience of the public sector and the challenges facing it.

SAMI was commissioned by the Government Office for Science to overhaul its Futures Toolkit. We have reviewed and re-written many of the core tools, adding new ones and advising on more advanced techniques.

SAMI Consulting Ltd are futures domain specialists. We have 30 years’ experience of working internationally, with the European Commission and with HM Government on futures projects. We understand the specific needs of Government in formulating and reaching decisions at both the policy and delivery levels. We have worked with the Cabinet Office, the Government Office for Science and HMG central departments; agencies; Local Government, Local Enterprise Partnerships, NDPBs, police forces and security agencies, universities and charities.

We work with you using a wide range of foresight tools including scenario planning. We identify
major drivers of change impacting your organisation, develop different futures and test alternative
strategies. This participative approach builds capability in your team, enabling them to become
more innovative and more able to react rapidly to unexpected change.

We offer the full range of Futures capability from gathering intelligence, to making sense of it, to
testing and developing your strategy, making decisions and taking action. We use the full range of
Futures and Foresight tools, conduct our own research and maintain our own knowledge acquisition
mechanisms. This means we can deliver a faster, tailored and more sophisticated response to your
needs and avoid ‘reinventing the wheel.’

SAMI’s experienced facilitators are adept at managing the unique challenges of futures workshops.
We enable participants to step outside their present-bias into a futures-mode of thinking

FOODCITYBOOST is a trailblazing project that will help develop the foundations for turning urban jungles into lush, green, food-producing hubs! We imagine cities where rooftops, balconies, and even vertical spaces are bursting with greenery and fresh produce. This is the future that FOODCITYBOOST is planting seeds for, whilst tackling the major contemporary difficulties such as: climate change, biodiversity loss, and the great divide between urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.

CARMINE’s overarching goal is to help the metropolitan communities become more climate resilient, by co-producing knowledge-based tools, strategies and plans for enhanced adaptation and mitigation actions addressing the Charter of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change by 2030.

To achieve this goal, focusing on a 2030-2035 timeframe and with longer perspectives up to 2050, CARMINE aims to:

✅ Co-create and co-develop decision-support services and guidelines for enhanced resilience and adaptive capacity, including early warning and disaster risk management systems;

✅ Cooperate closely with local to regional communities (stakeholders and users), decision and policy-makers (local authorities) to co-develop cross-sectoral frameworks for adaptation and mitigation actions;

✅ Deliver science-based R&I roadmaps for multi-level climate governance supporting local adaptation assessments and plans.

Obj. 1. Review the available resources, tools, practices, policies, and methodologies, and identify the gaps, challenges and barriers that hamper the successful advance of the resilience pathways in the Metropolitan Regions of Europe.

Obj. 2. Develop high-resolution risk assessment models linking climate, earth system processes, and socio-economic drivers, for enriched data fusion and effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation actions in the Metropolitan Regions of Europe.

Obj. 3. Co-produce a climate adaptation and resilience framework combining Living Labs and Digital Twins approaches that supports decision making processes for resilience and disaster risk management in the Metropolitan Regions of Europe, including Nature-Based Solutions.

Obj. 4 Provide state-of-the-art Impact-based Decision Support Services blending climate and environmental data into socioeconomic impact and risk assessments, for user-friendly access to high spatially resolved modelling outputs in support of local adaptation assessments and plans.

Obj. 5 Conduct the participatory development of better coordinated and impactful modelling and risk assessment, in support of roadmaps of R&I priorities on adaptation, informed policies, and cross-sectoral plans towards the 2030-2035 timeframe and beyond (i.e., 2050).

CARMINE establishes synergies and complementarities with ongoing projects funded under the calls HORIZON-MISS-2021-CLIMA-02-03: ICARIA, MIRA CA, and R ISKADAPT, and HO RIZON-MISS-2021-CLIMA-02-01: CLIMAAX. 

This foresight study explores possible and necessary changes in the European social and economic systems as the European Union engages in managing sustainability transitions towards 2050. With this focus, the study presents strategic areas of intervention covering a new social contract, governance for sustainability, people and economy, and the global perspective on sustainability. The study reflects on the agency of EU actors (such as government at various levels, business, and communities) to address the strategic areas of intervention as part of collectively addressing sustainability transitions. The study builds on a participatory foresight exercise, which generated four foresight scenarios for a climate-neutral EU in 2050. Based on each scenario, a corresponding transition pathway was co-created and analysed through the process. The study presents and analyses these outputs of the process. The outputs can also serve as input to policymakers and practitioners interested in conducting new participatory exercises on sustainability transitions.

Source: European Commission - JRC - JRC Publications Repository 

Foresight seems to be on everyone’s lips these days – but what is it really and, more importantly, how can you use it in your own work? This “menu” is designed to help policymakers understand and leverage foresight for more effective strategy- building and decision-making.

Foresight is about thinking long-term to make smarter choices now. It is a collective effort to look beyond the present and consider what could happen in the future. Foresight isn’t about gazing into a crystal ball, but a way to methodically broaden our perspective and prepare for different possible futures scenarios.

There are many reasons and ways to engage in long-term thinking for policymaking. This menu showcases the various goals and approaches of foresight in policy contexts, featuring tools and processes that the EU Policy Lab can offer. 

Source: European Commission - Knowledge for policy  

Fremtenkt is a non-profit futures agency.

That means we can predict the future! Just kidding.

But we can teach you to use your own and others' images of the future as a tool – a tool to explore, challenge and expand the possibilities you see for changing the world for the better.

Along the way, you'll develop Futures Literacy - the UNESCO-recognized capability that enhances your creative problem-solving and makes you more resilient in the face of the unexpected.

Delivering solutions for a more sustainable future

ISINNOVA provides research services and strategic consultancy to public and private actors pursuing sustainable visions, solutions, and policies.

Five Pillars of Our Approach

1. Anticipate – Apply systems thinking and foresight methodologies to identify emerging challenges, reveal interdependencies, and inform proactive, future-resilient strategies.

2. Integrate – Connect disciplines, sectors, and knowledge systems to foster richer analysis and tackle complex challenges holistically.

3. Align – Ensure research, innovation, and governance processes reflect the values, priorities, and needs of society through ethical, participatory, and responsible approaches.

4. Co-create – Engage diverse stakeholders — researchers, policymakers, citizens, and industry — in collaborative processes to design solutions that are inclusive, relevant, and impactful.

5. Transform – Drive systemic change by translating shared knowledge and co-created solutions into sustainable, scalable actions, supported by continuous assessment to ensure applicability, effectiveness, and long-term value.

Track Record

• 50+ years in the game (and counting).
• Involved in over 130 research projects (ISINNOVA designs, develops, and manages sector-specific & cross-sector EU and global projects)
• 15 staff members with multidisciplinary backgrounds (engineering, statistics, economics, politics, law, social sciences, computer science and media studies)
  

We help people and organisations imagine, work with, and shape their future. 

CIFS is one of the worlds oldest think tanks exclusively focusing on foresight. CIFS teach very popular courses in foresight, gives key notes and launch various initiatives and do research projects. CIFS is a self-owned think tank, completely independent of special interests. 

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.

What if education wasn’t controlled by institutions but shaped by learners, communities, and technology? Using backcasting, I explored a future where learning is decentralized, open, and driven by collaboration—and mapped the steps to get there.

This vision is inspired by discussions between Sara Skvirsky (IFTF Research Director) and Katherine Prince (VP of Foresight & Strategy, KnowledgeWorks), as well as the 2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning - a report that, even today, feels like a glimpse into what’s coming.

🔹 How do we get there?

- From institutional control to collective intelligence
- From passive learning to a culture of creation
- From centralized credentials to peer-validated knowledge
- From rigid curriculums to dynamic, adaptive education

🎥 Watch the short film exploring this future!

The municipality of Diano Marina, a seaside town in the northwestern Liguria region of Italy, in collaboration with the National Research Council of Italy, has launched an initiative in 2022 called “I Venerdi della Conoscenza” (Fridays of Knowledge, hereafter VDC). Link to the webpage.

The awareness of the possible impacts of emerging technologies and global changes on the society and the economy, prompted the mayor of Diano Marina to ask a group of scientists to design and develop activities for involving local communities in reflection on the future.

The aim of VDC is to promote and structure a dialogue between young generations and decision makers, using science as an interface.

A Scientific Committee has identified different aspects to be addressed during meetings that engage the participants to access the state of the art, and discuss them. The ultimate goal of VDC is to involve the local community in becoming more informed and active in shaping the future, which is often regarded as distant from the territorial contexts, and which constitutes the basis of the foresight exercises. The Scientific Committee consists of a selection of the experts who coordinated the Science and Technology Foresight Project of the National Research Council. The involved scientists are a representation of high-level national and international communities.

Students and teachers from some high schools are involved in advance, in order to brief and prepare questions during the meetings. On scheduled Fridays, the Sala Consigliare of the municipality hosts approximately 100 citizens. Students open the debate with lectures identified the week before, then a moderator initiates a debate with the scientists to elaborate the main concepts and challenges on the selected topics. Open questions from the audience conclude the dialogue, which includes the local public authorities that are invited. The meeting are accessible via streaming for a wider participation.

Some of the topics also anticipated or were suggested by those identified by a project funded by the European Commission named the Eye of Europe, whose aim is to support the European decision makers to reflect on the research and innovation priorities through foresight processes.

The DLR-PT conducted a comprehensive foresight study for the BMWK to explore the current progress and challenges in quantum computing. Using DLR-PT's innovative Strategic Impact Navigation Assessment Model (SINAVI), the study employed a range of methods including trend analysis, expert interviews and multi-stage Delphi surveys. Based on these findings, DLR-PT created a forward-looking scenario for 2032 and used the backcasting method to identify key strategies for advancing quantum computing in Germany. The findings were enriched with data from an accompanying performance review of the funding initiative, for which DLR-PT was also responsible. The result was a holistic, actionable roadmap that highlights both the achievements and future potential of the funding programme.

MATS aims to identify key leverage points for changes in agricultural trade policy that foster the positive and reduce the negative impacts of trade on sustainable development and human rights. Particular attention is paid to SDG1 No Poverty, SDG2 Zero Hunger and SDG3 Good Health and Well-being, as well as SDG6 Clean Water, SDG13 Climate Action and SDG15 Life on Land. Focus is on improving the governance, design and implementation of trade practices, regimes and policies at national, EU, African and global levels.

In implementation, MATS develops and pilots new tools for a systemic analysis, and assessment, of the interactions between agricultural trade, investments, sustainability and development.

Millions of travellers cross the EU’s external borders every year and their numbers will likely increase even further. Thus, border checks will need to undergo significant transformations in the coming years, both to effectively safeguard the EU’s external borders and to improve the border crossing experience for travellers. Biometrics is one of the fields expected to significantly contribute to the attainment of these goals.

In light of the above, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency delivered a Technology Foresight Research Study on Biometrics for the Future of Travel. The main objective of this research was the delivery of a study on the future of biometrics for its implementation in border control systems that may benefit the work of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) community in a short (1-5 years), medium (5-10 years) and long term (10+ years) perspective. In particular, this research was to produce a research study that includes the prioritization and roadmapping of emerging relevant biometric technologies with the strongest potential to influence the strategic components of Integrated Border Management and the work of Border Guards themselves. The research study also produced comprehensive tailored technology foresight methodology and supporting tools, properly adapted to Frontex capabilities and organization. Furthermore, it delivered a technology taxonomy for biometrics and biometrics-enabled technological systems.


The obtained findings were to support Frontex in identifying specific research and innovation initiatives which could accelerate the integration of novel biometrics-enabled technological solutions for border checks. This study provides knowledge on how to maximize future benefits of biometrics technology in the border management environment while minimizing its risks and ensuring full compliance with the existing legal, ethical and technological constraints.

The research study consisted of five phases, which all produced their own set of insights intended to support the EBCG community in decision-making processes, compiled in the main report available here . 

4CF The Futures Literacy Company is a consultancy entirely focused on strategic foresight and long-term strategies. For nearly two decades, 4CF has been on the mission to help its clients prepare for an uncertain tomorrow. The Company has executed hundreds of projects for private companies, public institutions and international entities, including the European Commission and its agencies (EUDA, ENISA), FAO, UNFCCC, UNESCO, UNEP and UNDP. 4CF is at the forefront of global innovation, and actively contributes to the development of cutting-edge foresight tools, including 4CF HalnyX (Delphi platform), 4CF Sprawlr, 4CF FLEx.

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. 

We’re pioneering the European Health Data Space by building the first Regional Smart Health Data Space.

On an Ambitious Mission
We embarked on an ambitious mission to reshape the smart healthcare landscape and accelerate innovation within four Widening countries – Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, and Greece.

Our overarching objective is to foster an environment where smart health innovations thrive, creating excellent innovation ecosystems within the participating widening countries, while having the support of three developed countries – Sweden, Germany, and Spain.

Aligned with the Regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) in healthcare, we aim to leverage cutting-edge technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enable personalized medicine, informed decision-making, and enhanced disease prediction.

Beacons of Innovation
We will create the first Regional Smart Health Data Space (RSHDS). This marks a significant milestone on our journey towards a unified European Health Data Space (EHDS).

We will showcase the capabilities of the RSHDS through the implementation of four interconnected pilots, each addressing critical healthcare challenges:

• Cancer treatment (Greece)
• Alzheimer (Bulgaria)
• Cerebral tumours (Romania)
• Dementia (Cyprus)

Within this project, UEFISCDI is leading, among other activities, Task 6.3 - Long term common R&I and investment strategic agenda and action plan. The task will develop a joint R&I strategic agenda aligned with regional/national Smart Specialization Strategies, with local and European regulations concerning data governance and data sharing, as well as with the European Policy priority of Data Driven Digital Transition and Smart Health.

For this, it will use foresight-based methodologies such as backcasting, visioning, foresight expert workshops and other. 

Results for the working group Water are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-water.html

Results for the working group Complexity are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-comple-xxi.html 

Results for the working group Models, Algorithms, and Data for the Future are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-mad4future.html 

Results for the working group Materials are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-materials.html 

Article "STEM materials: a new frontier for an intelligent sustainable world" by Pier Francesco Moretti is available at https://bmcmaterials.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42833-019-0004-4 

Results for the working group Health are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-health.html

Results for the working group Food are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-food.html 

Results for the working group Energy are available at: http://foresight.cnr.it/working-groups/wg-energy.html 

The Science and Technology Foresight Project has carried out initiatives of great relevance, in order to define research strategies able to address crucial social problems related to energy, food, health, water, as well as the cross-sectoral topic of breakthrough innovative materials. Link to the webpage.

Both, the holist ic approach applied to the analysis of the topics, as well as the innovative format of the invitation only workshops, enticed the participation of internationally acknowledged experts. This framework guaranteed all participants the necessary conditions to carry out an open interactive debate, consolidating a collective intelligence, which assisted in achieving a consensus on research priorities, knowledge gaps, and funding needs.

The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) is a public institution with legal personality subordinate to the Ministry of National Education in Romania.

Attributions:

• we assist the National Council for the Financing of Higher Education (CNFIS) in the elaboration of proposals for methodologies and documentation related to the financing of higher education;
• we coordinate, under the scientific guidance of the advisory councils of the Ministry of Education with responsibilities in R&I, programs within the National Plan for Research, Development and Innovation;
• we carry out and implement institutional and system development projects, related to higher education, research, development or innovation, with national and international funding, with the approval of the Ministry of Education;
• we offer consultancy and technical assistance for the development and management of projects within the domestic and international programs of scientific research, technological development and stimulation of innovation.

Institutul de Prospectiva is a research organisation (NGO) with the mission to stimulate future-awareness aimed at addressing the challenges of contemporary societies. To this end, we implement tailored foresight exercises supporting strategic orientation in the public sector, with a focus on foresight for R&I policy at European and national level.

Prospectiva is part of the Foresight-on-Demand (FOD) consortium, tasked with advising the European Commission and fourteen other EU organisations on science and technology policy programming for a period of four years (April 2024 – March 2028).
This is an extension of the previous successful cooperation within the Foresight on Demand framework contract (2019-2023); during this period Prospectiva has contributed to numerous projects, on components related to horizon scanning, large scale Delphi consultations, scenario building, co-creation workshops, speculative design, and the elaboration of various briefs, in-depth case studies and reports. These projects addressed a range of themes, among which the future of food, of retail, of ecosystems’ flourishing, and even of the human condition.