Previous projects: Strategic foresight and visionary leadership

Bastu was a business enabler for entrepreneurs and businesses in the Turku region.

Our goal is to enhance your business with new, collaborative opportunities that utilise the philosophical tenets of the sixth wave along with the core competences of our participating companies.

Further information: Keijo Koskinen

New operation models to face uncertainty in work and to strengthen work communities' and experts’ resilience are developed in this project.

The global COVID-19 virus has made it more concrete how unpredictable the future is. In working life unpredictability and uncertainty weaken the sense of control and depending on the individual, decrease well-being at work. At the same time, the climate crisis should be considered also in workplaces. Due to constant changes, there is a growing need for the ability to act in times of uncertainty and to understand the complex nature of society. Especially in knowledge work, complex nature is one characteristic of the work. Furthermore, the superiors of experts are in challenging situations from many angles. Self-managing and team-managing skills are necessary. At the organizational level, new ways to co-operate are needed to characterize the bigger picture at times of continuous changes and to find different approaches and solutions for interaction.

The project's aim is to strengthen organizations' renewability and knowledge workers’ resilience and adaptability in working life change situations by assimilating new trust-building, interactive and futures-oriented ways of operating. In addition, actions against climate change are discussed. The target groups of the project are independent knowledge workers (entrepreneurs and employees) and SMEs and supporting organizations in the several fields of knowledge work. In the project, the resilience of companies is strengthened and new ways to interact are supported by forming a Living lab for development and testing and using user-oriented and experimental learning and developing methods.

The project is carried out in co-operation between Turku University of Applied Sciences (co-ordinator), Humak University of Applied Sciences and the FFRC.

The project is funded by the European Social Fund during 1.9.2021-31.8.2023 via Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (Central Finland). The project is funded by the REACT-EU Instrument as part of the European Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact: Hanna-Kaisa Aalto, Finland Futures Research Centre

Strengthening foresight and the role of future generations in Finnish lawmaking

From an international comparison, Finland already has an advanced national foresight system and can be regarded as a pioneer in future-regarding policymaking. However, there is still room for improvement in terms of using foresight and considering future generations as a part of lawmaking. Such improvement could be achieved by developing and upgrading the existing institutions and practices and by making more incremental changes in practices, modes of interaction, and attitudes. For example, foresight should be conducted more as a continuous activity, and future generations’ interests and rights should be considered more systematically in legislative processes, while acknowledging the plurality of future interests.

This research supported the preparation of the second part of the Government Report on the Future. Foresight and Future Generations in Law-Making (FORGE) -project was part of the implementation of the 2021 Government plan for analysis, assessment and research. The project was carried out by the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University during the year 2022.

Further information: Toni Ahlqvist, FFRC

Project reports:

• Turun yliopiston tiedote: Uudessa hankkeessa edistetään ennakointikäytäntöjä ja tulevien sukupolvien asemaa (16.3.2022)
• Raportti: Ennakointi ja tulevat sukupolvet lainvalmistelun prosesseissa, instituutioissa ja käytännöissä (22.11.2022)
• Policy Brief: Strengthening foresight and the role of future generations in Finnish lawmaking (22.11.2022)
• Tiedote: Raportti: Ennakointi vahvemmin osaksi lainvalmistelua (22.11.2022)

Forest-based bioeconomy, foresight and futures knowledge (METUMO) project introduces futures research concepts and futures workshop methods for the needs of the forest-based sector professionals.

School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland and Finland Futures Research Centre are collaborating to implement the Forest-based bioeconomy, foresight and futures knowledge (METUMO) project. METUMO organizes a series of workshops that aim to develop the futures capabilities of the forest sector and associated sectors. The project aims to utilize foresight research knowledge and distill it into futures-conscious foresight action with a progressive ambition. One of the central outputs of the project is a self-study material package, which helps the forest-based bioeconomy sector develop futures literacy and foresight capabilities.

The principal investigator of the project is prof. Teppo Hujala at University of Eastern Finland.

The project is funded by Metsämiesten Säätiö Foundation.

Further information: Osku Haapasaari & Katriina Siivonen

Project website

The aim of the project is to model and evaluate the social effects of alternative development paths of Finnish livestock production. The project will provide the information needed to support the strategic choices and management decisions of food business operators on the effects of different livestock production intensity options on arable use, the environment, the regional economy and foreign trade.

Project is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Finnish food industry companies during 1.1.2018–31.3.2021. 

Further information: Tuomas Kuhmonen

The special situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has introduced new challenges for enterprises. Prognoses for example in the fields of hotel and restaurant trade, tourism and event production are dramatically bleak. With innovation and developing products and services, productivity and result-orientation can be influenced. This, in turn, has an effect on the improvement of well-being.

The Regional Strategy for Southwest Finland encourages for growth entrepreneurship and innovations, and for partnerships and bold experiments to promote a dynamic culture of cooperation. The Regional Programme of Southwest Finland encourages a close, strategic partnership between enterprises and education providers. According to the regional coping strategy of Southwest Finland, the region’s small and micro entrepreneurs and their staff in the fields of tourism, trade, services, the hotel and restaurant sector, and in culture and event production have suffered for the pandemic the most. Recovery funds are targeted at companies’ opportunities to improve their competitiveness and create new business and growth, and further, new jobs. The work against climate change plays a central part.

The project aims to respond to the Regional Strategy and Regional Programme of Southwest Finland and the regional coping strategy of Southwest Finland. The main objective of the project is to help the enterprises to cope with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic by helping and supporting established entrepreneurs and their staff to develop environmentally friendly new business with innovation. The project focuses on assisting the fields which have suffered for the pandemic the most in Southwest Finland. This aim will be achieved with a versatile, future-oriented innovation process which is based on sustainable development and experiments, the help of experts and networking.

The project is carried out by Turku University of Applied Sciences (co-ordinator), HUMAK University of Applied Sciences and Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku, which have extensive networks and create a strong combination by their cooperation and also in their cooperation with entrepreneurs.

The project is funded by the European Social Fund during 1.9.2021-31.8.2023 via Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (Central Finland). The project is funded by the REACT-EU Instrument as part of the European Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact: Hanna-Kaisa Aalto, Finland Futures Research Centre

MyStory is an Interreg Nord funded project in a cross-border regional development context. The project is based along the Finnish-Swedish-Norwegian border region, along the Northern Lights Route. The Northern Lights Route is an official tourism road starting from Tornio-Haparanda and follows the E8 and Road 99 along Tornio and Muonio rivers all the way to Kilpisjärvi, and continues via Storfjord to Tromsø in Norway.

The route connects not only three neighbouring countries, but also six different languages (Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Meänkieli, Sami and Kven) and a shared history and cultural heritage. The common culture and history are strongly represented along the Northern Lights Route and the region shares a growing consciousness of its common roots and identity, which is the basis for this cross-border project.

The Northern Lights Route is still quite unknown. The main goal of the project is to develop the tourism in the region by supporting small-scale tourism companies and by developing tourism in the cross-border context through a common vision and a roadmaping process. The companies will receive support in using storytelling in their businesses by utilizing local cultural history and stories in a socially and culturally sustainable ways, and, in addition, new technologies such as virtual reality will be piloted. The project supports the development of new story and place-based digital tools and business concepts, skills development and cross-border collaboration with new, innovative digital solutions. This project is continuation to a previous project Our Stories, where stories from the region were collected and published in written, visual and audio forms.

The work package of FFRC is related to the strategic development of tourism in this cross-border region. FFRC will run a vision and roadmap process which objective is to find a common understanding on what the tourism in the region should be like and be based on, and how the tourism can be developed sustainably as a cross-border regional effort. The involvement and participation of the different stakeholders involved in tourism development in the region, such as municipalities, companies, development organizations and educational institutions, is the key for successful long-term planning.

Lapland University of Applied Sciences is the main coordinator of the project. In addition, stakeholders from Finland, Norway and Sweden are involved in the project. The project is financed by Interreg Nord, Lapin liitto, Council of Torne Valley, Innovasjon Norge, Forskningsrådet Norge and Troms og Finnmark Fylkeskommune.

Further information: Hanna Lakkala

https://ourstories.info/

Finland has a highly developed and internationally recognized national foresight system. As the pace of change in the operating environment accelerates, the importance of foresight increases. However, in contrast to the changing circumstances the foresight work conducted in the Finnish foresight system is one-sided: Futures information is mainly collected from one’s own environment and for the majority of actors, foresight is based on forecasting likely developments rather than exploring new opportunities or surprises.

This report describes the current state of Finnish national foresight activities and proposes measures to improve them. The analysis is based on questionnaire to 78 organizations (44% response rate), 15 interviews, and data collected in three workshops between February 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020.

The construction of national foresight system began in the 1990s, and it has been systematically developed since 2004. In the 2020s, the operating environment and complex challenges are changing ever more rapidly. Therefore, we need more foresight that is looking at alternative future developments and desirable futures, and actively seeking to promote the desired systemic changes.

Based on the study, six areas for improvement are presented to update national foresight to match the needs of 2020’s developing actors’ foresight capabilities;

1. strengthening collaboration and expanding the foresight ecosystem;
2. utilising global perspectives and networks;
3. clarifying ecosystem actors’ roles and strengthening coordination; 
4. strengthening the communication and flow of foresight information;
5. linking foresight more closely to decision-making.

Further information: Burkhard Auffermann, Laura Pouru & Matti Minkkinen.

Kansallinen ennakointi Suomessa 2020
Pouru, Laura; Minkkinen, Matti; Auffermann, Burkhard; Rowley, Christopher; Malho, Maria; Neuvonen, Aleksi (2020)
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-287-948-6

The project is implemented by the FFRC and the University of Jyväskylä's School of Economics. Project is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry during 1.6.2020-31.12.2021.

Further information: Tuomas Kuhmonen

The goal of the vision process is to create an innovative and diverse vision of competence and lifelong learning for the City of Turku. At the heart of vision work are changing requirements for competence and professional skills in the context of a work change.

Further information: Johanna Ollila, Leena Jokinen, Anne Nieminen & Sari Miettinen

The purpose of DECENT is to examine medium and long-term future-oriented governmental decision-making in Finland, with particular focus on the formation and impact of national climate and energy strategy.

The DECENT is based on collaboration between Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), University of Turku; Natural Resources Institute Finland and Finnish Environment Institute. The research project is funded by the Academy of Finland and it is operational during 2019-2023.

> Read more about the project

Further information: Petri Tapio & Marjukka Parkkinen

Whenever you need extreme (WYNE) project promotes low-carbon business and vitality in Fell Lapland. WYNE combines information gathered from the extreme natural conditions of Fell Lapland and combines it with futures knowledge.

The above information will be refined to develop low carbon business using the futures platform and the innovation environment to be developed during the project in cooperation with companies.

The projects’ activities are divided into three work packages:

• Promoting sustainable business and vitality in Fell Lapland
• Mapping of extreme conditions
• Communication and administration

The end result is the world’s cleanest innovation environment, which attracts sustainable companies, employment opportunities and R&D investments to the region.

With the Whenever You Need Extreme project, Fell Lapland Development (FLD), Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) and Leader Fell Lapland (LFL) respond to the need for a diverse and sustainable regional economic structure. As regional actors, FLD and LFL bring into the project the regional knowledge and the perspectives of the business field.

Combined with FFRC’s foresight and innovation expertise, the project aims at sustainably commercializing the attraction factors of Fell Lapland and attract new companies to the region, providing a setting that allows them to differentiate them from the competitors. The project will develop the region’s business environment, taking into account the special features of the region, and ensure that the region has a solid plan for the future.

The project is funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) during 1.8.2021-30.6.2023. The total budget for the project is 343 858 euros.

Further information: Hanna Lakkala, FFRC

Website

Competitiveness of the food system is comprised of not only comparative cost advantages but also of the capacity of the system to fulfil its basic function – food supply and food security – in many kinds of situations and circumstances. The contemporary food system is based on deep division of work and specialisation, which implies that the actors of the food system are highly dependent on each other.

This study is focused on the interdependencies within the food system and their role as a source of vulnerability. Alleviation of vulnerability asks for analysis of the systemic properties to identify effective leverage points. Change of the vulnerabilities is evaluated in three contrast scenarios. Actor network analysis reveals actions that reduce vulnerability of the food system in each scenario and also exposes the relocation and multiplicative effects of the vulnerabilities that arise as a consequence of the actions.

The project is carried out in co-operation with the University of Jyväskylä and e2 Research.

Funding: 2021–2022 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry & The Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners (MTK)

Contact: Research Director Tuomas Kuhmonen, FFRC