Under the lead of the AIT Center for Innovation Systems & Policy, the Foresight-on-Demand (FOD) consortium is advising the European Commission and fourteen other EU organisations on science and technology issues for a further period. The extension of the successful cooperation in the Foresight-on-Demand framework agreement enables the European Commission to promptly request required future knowledge and build up anticipatory capacities in its own organisations. Knowledge is developed in participatory processes to orientate and underpin Europe's investment plans for science, research, technology and innovation. Results from previous Foresight-on-Demand projects supported, for example, the design of the EU Commission's "Horizon Europe 2nd Strategic plan 2025-2027".
Shaping the future with Foresight
The foresight projects carried out as part of Foresight-on-Demand provide science-based, systemic and participatory approaches to forward-looking knowledge generation aimed at guiding and supporting political decision-making processes in the present. For example, the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture commissioned a foresight study on the future of school education in the EU (see Scenarios for the future of school education in the EU), while the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation commissioned scenarios for a post-Covid-19 world (see After the new normal: Scenarios for Europe in the post Covid-19 world) for the long-term orientation of European research and innovation activities. In addition to concrete results, such as scenarios, visions for the future and recommendations for action, which are disseminated in the form of reports, blogs and newsletters, foresight processes also have indirect effects. In participatory settings, such as workshops, discussion and information events (panels, webinars), but also by means of Delphi surveys or interviews, foresight processes have a positive effect on the reorganisation and consolidation of stakeholder networks, which are the basis for long-term, coordinated and transformative policy-making. The futures4europe.eu platform serves as a central information hub and exchange platform for the European foresight community.
Evidence-based European RTI policy
The inclusion of concrete results and recommendations for action from foresight-on-demand projects in the European Commission's political agendas is particularly pleasing (see e.g. Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027 Analysis). This emphasises the potential of foresight processes to make the knowledge base for policy-making robust for the future and to strengthen the anticipatory capabilities of political decision-makers.
The Foresight-on-Demand framework contract runs from April 2024 to March 2028.