EARMA Conference spotlight - Keynote 1: The EC Foresight Activity: Exploring the Future to Shape Today’s Priorities with Juraj Nociar
Thursday May 5, 09:00 - 10:45 CEST, Oslo Congress Centre, Oslo, Norway
By Massimo Busuoli (moderator)
One of the novelties in the European Commission (EC) approach to policy design, is represented by the strategic foresight activity run under the responsibility of the EC Vice President Maroš Šefčovič.
Strategic Foresight is “the discipline of exploring, anticipating and shaping the future to help building and using collective intelligence in a structured and systemic way to anticipate developments”.
Through this initiative, the Vice President is currently leading efforts to embed this practice in EU policy making processes.
Trends anticipations, risks analysis emerging issues and related implications and opportunities represent the baseline to add important elements to the design of efficient and impactful policies.
The European Commission Produces an annual Strategic Foresight Report through a participative and cross-sectoral process benefiting from consultations with Member States, discussions with the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System, and external stakeholders.
The Report is one of the elements that is taken into account in the definition of the Commission Work programmes and its multi-annual programming exercises, including R&I related ones.
The first Strategic Foresight Report was published in 2020 by the EC and this Report announced the launch of an EU-wide Foresight Network.
The second Strategic Foresight Report was adopted by the EC in September 2021, focusing on “the EU’s capacity and freedom of action” presenting challenges and uncertainties that will affect and shape Europe’s future.
The Report identifies global trends that have been inspirational in terms of R&I priorities definitions, pointing towards important aspects like climate change and environmental challenges, digital hyperconnectivity and technological transformations, pressure on democracy and values, shifts in the global order and demography.
Given the positive impact created by the 2021 edition and the growing importance of the Green and Digital Transition in the EU Agenda, the 2022 edition of the Strategic Report will focus on the Twin Transition and emerging technologies.
This new document promises to be extremely inspiring for the European R&I actors, given its expected impacts also on the Horizon Europe priorities definitions.
The presence of Juraj Nociar, Head of the Cabinet of the EC Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, at this year´s EARMA Conference will represent a unique opportunity for EARMA members to get insights about future trends that will influence the definition of the Digital Transition priorities and related investments for the years to come.
It will be extremely interesting to have the possibility to interact directly with a high-level decision maker and to accept the challenge to “read between the lines of the trends and visions” to get inspirational insights.
See you in Oslo in May!
Massimo Busuoli is Head of the NTNU Brussels office and is an EARMA Board member. Massimo will serve as moderator for this important keynote address.
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