EC launches Foresight platform

The foresight platform futures4europe was launched to support engagement with strategic foresight activities for Horizon Europe. It brings together foresight experts and R&I policy-makers from across the EU, collecting national and European foresight projects and promoting futures literacy through educational material and relevant newsletters. With a view to supporting the reflection towards for the next Framework Programme, the platform provided 8 foresight policy briefs that have now been published by the Commission:

• Futures of innovation and intellectual property regulation in 2040: Important changes in innovation create challenges and opportunities for IP regulation in Europe and the world which are explored with the help of future scenarios.
• Futures of big tech in Europe: The Big Tech phenomenon is a multidimensional challenge for European technology, economic policy and governance as a whole. Future scenarios explore different aspects of this challenge and propose EU policy responses, including in the domain of R&I policy.
• Futures of science for policy in Europe: The policy brief explores important trends for the future of science for policy in Europe and the challenges and opportunities that they present for the development of science for policy ecosystems in the European Union.
• Futures of using nature in rural and marine Europe in 2050: The policy brief explores future regimes of stewardship of land and sea, in relation to the use of nature: access and use rights in rural areas, biodiversity, food, energy, raw materials, carbon removal and storage, adaptation to climate change.
• Futures of green skills and jobs in Europe in 2050: The policy brief explores potential future labour market outcomes of scenarios around the prospect for green technological leadership and socio-technical transition in Europe and draws R&I policy implications.
• Futures of social confrontations and effects on European democracies 2040: This policy brief explores how social confrontations relate to science and society, and how may they affect the future of democracy in Europe.
• Futures of civic resilience in Europe, 2040: The policy brief explores alternative futures involving radical changes in society to help better prepare for future crises and strengthen the resilience of civil society today.
• Futures of the interpenetration of criminal and lawful economic activities in the European Union in 2035: This policy brief explores a range of policy implications, especially for STI policies and regulations, in relation to future scenarios of competition between law enforcement and criminal activities, stressing the multi-level nature of policy-making in the EU and the need for collaboration with countries outside the EU.

The policy briefs have used scenarios to develop policy recommendations for R&I policy-makers in the EU and its Member States.

Publication date: 19 February 2024
Author: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
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