Futures – The Horizon Scanning Centre

THE HORIZON SCANNING CENTRE

“Aim and Scope: The Centre’s aims are:

* To inform departmental and cross-departmental decision-making
* To support horizon scanning carried out by others inside government
* To spot the implications of emerging science and technology and enable others to act on them

The three work-streams of the Centre are:

* Producing a broad horizon scan – the Sigma Scan – looking at potential future issues and trends that may have an impact on public policy, to inform Government strategy and policy-making.
* Project work with stakeholders: demand-led opportunities for joint working on specific issues with stakeholders (departments or groups of departments)
* Provision of tools and support to spread good practice in departmental horizon scanning, including coaching, providing advice, brokering agreements and creating synergies that make the best use of resources and facilitate capacity-building.”

Futures – Foresight

THE UK’S FORESIGHT PROGRAMME

“”The UK’s Foresight Programme aims to bridge the gap in policy making between the short and the long term.”
Professor John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Individuals and governments hope that their actions help to shape the world into one that we all want to live in. To do that effectively, we really have to understand the future, uncertain as that may be.

The UK Government’s Foresight Programme and its Horizon Scanning Centre use the best evidence from science and other areas to provide visions of the future. While no one can predict what will happen, ‘futures research’ can help us to identify potential risks and opportunities. In this way, Foresight can assist policymakers in developing strategies to manage our future better.

As the Governments’ ‘think tank’ on science and technology issues Foresight operates through projects that investigate the challenges and opportunities arising from emerging areas of science and technology or that address major issues for society where science and technology have an important role to play.

By drawing on experts from many disciplines in the natural and social sciences, and through the use of proven futures techniques, Foresight can help the Government to strike the right balance between long-term thinking and tackling issues that need immediate attention. Foresight works across Government, supporting strategic thinking and helping departments to formulate innovative policies that can withstand the inevitable changes that the future throws at us.

The Foresight Programme and its Horizon Scanning Centre are a part of the Government Office for Science within the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.”