Social Protection Systems & Essential Services is the third instalment in DLR Projektträger's Strategic Foresight series for the future European Partnership on Social Transformations and Resilience (STR). It asks how Europe's welfare systems can stay adequate, fair, and resilient as demographic change, labour market fragmentation, climate pressures, and digitalisation reshape who needs support and how they receive it.

The foresight process started with 25 candidate trends drawn from desk research, anchored in the European Commission's The Future of Social Protection and of the Welfare State in the EU and a scoping study on welfare systems in societal and ecological transitions. Five expert interviews sharpened the trend landscape, and a survey of 138 experts across 24 countries narrowed the field to ten priority trends. A workshop with 33 participants from 15 countries then mapped the cascading effects of each trend using the Futures Wheel method.

The ten trends cover strain on pension and care systems from an ageing population, widening divides between secure and precarious work, rising mental health needs, unequal exposure to climate shocks and transition costs, and eroding trust in welfare institutions, alongside the risks and opportunities of digitalisation in service delivery.

The report's best-case scenario for 2040 rests on four pillars: income security and inclusive labour market participation that closes coverage gaps for people in non-standard work; shock-responsive and climate-fair social protection that shields low-income households from unequal transition costs; human-centred digitalisation that improves access without deepening inequality or eroding trust; and trustworthy, coordinated welfare governance that reduces administrative barriers and strengthens fairness.

Fostering Education and Skills Development is the second cycle in DLR Projektträger's Strategic Foresight series for the future European Partnership on Social Transformations and Resilience (STR), following the inaugural cycle on the future of work. It examines how Europe's education and skills systems can adapt to demographic decline, AI and digitalisation, and rising demands on learners' well-being over the next 10 to 15 years.

Desk research produced 26 initial trends, refined through expert interviews and then tested in an online survey of 132 experts across 22 countries, who prioritised the ten most significant developments. A workshop with 32 participants across Europe mapped the first-, second-, and third-order implications of each trend using the Futures Wheel method.

The ten trends include mounting teacher shortages (40% of EU teachers are already over 50, only 8% under 30), AI and digitalisation reshaping skill demands while widening existing gaps, declining student mental well-being, the twin transition deepening socioeconomic skill divides, the rising importance of social and emotional skills, and persistently low adult upskilling rates.

The report's best-case scenario for 2040 is structured around five pillars: a sustainable, empowered teaching workforce with competitive pay and manageable workloads; fair and responsible use of technology that closes rather than widens digital divides; well-being and social skills embedded as core parts of education, not add-ons; lifelong learning genuinely available to all age groups and backgrounds; and education systems resilient to demographic decline and the twin transition.

A Fair Transition Towards Climate Neutrality closes DLR Projektträger's four-part Strategic Foresight series for the future European Partnership on Social Transformations and Resilience (STR). The report examines Europe's path to climate neutrality with a focus on fairness: who bears the costs, who gains the benefits, and how governments keep public trust along the way.

The foresight process combined desk research with input from 168 experts across 22 countries, five in-depth interviews, and a workshop with 42 participants from 17 countries. Together these steps produced 24 trends, then narrowed the field to the ten with the strongest impact on fairness and legitimacy.

Top trends include accelerating climate impacts outpacing adaptation spending, uneven access to clean technology and mobility, and cultural narratives shaping public acceptance of transition policies. The report traces first- and second-order effects for each trend, from strained EU solidarity between regions to widening gaps in local implementation capacity.

Building on these findings, the report sets out a best-case scenario for 2040, built on four pillars: fairness embedded directly into climate governance and fiscal design, protection for households and communities against unequal transition costs, participatory and place-based decision-making, and an inclusive skills transformation keeping workers ready for the shift toward climate neutrality.

Shaping the Future of Work opens DLR Projektträger's Strategic Foresight series for the future European Partnership on Social Transformations and Resilience (STR). The report asks a direct question: how will AI, automation, an aging workforce, and shifting worker expectations reshape European labour markets over the next 10 to 15 years?

Desk research produced 34 candidate trends. An online survey then gathered responses from 187 experts across 29 countries, followed by interviews with four scholars from IZA, Stockholm University, Copenhagen Business School, and the University of Surrey. A workshop with 27 participants from 14 countries tested and expanded the ten highest-impact trends using the Futures Wheel method.

Top trends span AI governance and ethics at work, automation restructuring jobs and tasks, growing pressure for lifelong learning and digital training, workforce decline linked to aging populations, and rising demand for autonomy in where, when, and how people work. Each trend comes with first- and second-order implications, showing how a single shift, such as wider gig work, reaches into pay security, social protection, and mental health.

The report closes with a best-case scenario for 2040, resting on four pillars: digital transformation guided by ethics and worker rights, learning systems open to everyone regardless of background or age, work models offering flexibility without trading away security, and an economy growing while investing in people and sustainability.