AIT advises European Commission on future issues

"I am particularly pleased that the European Commission has placed its trust in the renowned FOD consortium led by AIT to support European policy with forward-looking knowledge and expertise for another four years," emphasises Brigitte Bach, spokesperson for the AIT management.

Strategic support directly for the European Commission
The previous Foresight-on-Demand projects already aimed to provide the necessary future-oriented knowledge for the preparation of the most important strategic programmes such as Horizon Europe. "We supported various EU organisations in addressing long-term challenges such as climate change, digitalisation and globalisation proactively and with foresight in their strategies," says Matthias Weber, Foresight-on-Demand Coordinator and Head of AIT Center for Innovation Systems & Policy. In the past, clients of Foresight-on-Demand projects have included various Directorates-General of the European Commission (Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Justice and Consumers, Research and Innovation), as well as agencies and bodies of the European Union (European Environment Agency, Mission Boards).

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). The international attention paid to the geopolitical scenarios from Foresight-on-Demand is also remarkable. This emphasises the potential of foresight processes to make the knowledge base for policy-making robust for the future and to strengthen the anticipatory skills and capacities of political decision-makers.

Expansion of the consortium through competent European partners
The Foresight on Demand consortium has also expanded in line with the extensions to the framework agreement. Fifteen core partners - renowned research and technology organisations as well as specialised foresight partners - will handle future assignments together with five associated partner organisations and a global network of foresight experts. Equipped with in-depth foresight expertise and experience from four years of working with European clients, the Foresight-on-Demand consortium is ready for new, exciting tasks and projects that will contribute to the resilience and transparency of European policymaking. The Foresight-on-Demand framework contract runs from April 2024 to March 2028.