Foresight is defined as organized, explicit work on the future that provides an understanding of alternative futures and strengthens decision-making. Often in the context of strategic planning, we miss out the opportunity to perceive surprises or new opportunities ahead, because our view on the future is too narrow. There is no one correct perspective on foresight. Foresight work requires several different perspectives and methods depending on the context. In the complex and rapidly changing world, the importance of foresight has grown steadily.
FFRC carries out foresight processes and research for a wide range of needs: to support societal decision-making, to support strategic planning and leadership in all kinds of organizations, and as a basis for scientific research. As foresight methods, we use future workshops, scenario and delphi processes, as well as various methods for identifying weak signals. We have executed foresight processes related e.g. to food, energy, technology, skills and competencies, housing and transport. In addition, we are constantly developing methods for futures research and foresight.
Ongoing Research and Development Projects:
Arctic Wisdom is a project funded by the Regional Council of Lapland. It is a next phase of Whenever you need extreme (WYNE) project carried out during 2021-2023.
Arctic wisdom will continue from where we left with WYNE (read a blog text about its results, in Finnish). This new 2-year-project is led by Leader Tunturi-Lappi and Tunturi-Lapin kehitys.
Further information: Hanna Lakkala, FFRC
BIODIFUL is an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Strategic Research Council within the Academy of Finland. It aims at creating a network of change agents who want to seed the urgently needed environmental transformation, and to equip them with knowhow, courage and faith – biodiversity respectful leadership.
Research team at Finland Futures Research Centre is working on the fifth work package that takes a deep look at the institutional structures that hinder or support the necessary sustainability transformation. Law, regulations and the political and economic guidance methods constitute the frames within which the individuals and organizations function: it is essential to understand the structural barriers of environmentally friendly action. It is even more important to find such means of overcoming them that support the radical change towards making our societies genuinely sustainable.
The project is carried out during 2021-2027.
Further information: Sari Puustinen, FFRC
In this project, we bring novel insights to management studies by considering who are cosmopolitans and how does their life course emerge, how does cosmopolitan disposition affect entrepreneurial behaviour, how is a cosmopolitan identity constructed, and what is the relationship between language kills and a cosmopolitan disposition.
This is also a study on international mobility, as cosmopolitan disposition has been identified as a significant driver for voluntary and possibly continuous emigration. In this phenomenon-driven study, embedded in the globalized, virtualised and multicultural environment in which cosmopolitans live today, we provide a contemporary perspective to the discussions on culture, international mobility, entrepreneurship and identity.
The project partners:
- International Business, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku (coordinator)
- Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics, University of Turku
- Faculty of Law, University of Turku
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Åbo Akademi University
Further information: Toni Ahlqvist & Laura Pouru-Mikkola, FFRC
This study examines the business volumes of the entire Finnish maritime cluster and its sub-industries, including Maritime Industries, Shipowners and other maritime businesses, Port activities, and other activities serving the maritime cluster.
The analysis covers economic indicators such as turnover and number of employees for the entire Finnish maritime cluster, based on financial statement data from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, the study provides separate regional analyses of these economic indicators for 2023, specifically focusing on Greater Helsinki (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen) as well as Varsinais-Suomi and Satakunta.
Projec was carried out during 1.9.-30.11.2024 and was funded by Finnish Maritime Industries, Finnish Shipowners’ Association, Finnish Port Association, City of Helsinki, City of Turku, Prizztech Ltd/City of Pori and City of Rauma.
Contact person: Mikko Grönlund
The framework contract with the European Commission for "Foresight on Demand (FOD)" provides the necessary forward-looking knowledge for the preparation of Horizon Europe's main strategic programmes and supports various EU institutions in tackling major future challenges (e.g. the medium to long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic).
The clients of FOD projects includes various directorates and services of the European Commission. These projects provide a variety of approaches to advise and enrich policy-making processes. In May 2024, the successful collaboration was extended for a further four years.
Finland Futures Research Centre is one of the fifteen core partners – renowned research and technology organisations as well as specialised foresight partners – that handle contracts together with five associated partner organisations and a global network of foresight experts.
The consortium is coordinated by Center for Innovation Systems & Policy at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology.
Further information: Juha Kaskinen
The University of Turku’s Futures Knowledge Distillery serves organisations whose goals are to develop their foresight skills and the ability to prepare for changes in the operating environment.
Our service is based on the Finland Futures Research Centre’s 30 years of experience in future, combined with the expertise of eight faculties of scientific research at the University of Turku.
On this basis, we offer practical solutions for consciously making futures. Foresight can be seen as the most effective way to prepare for uncertainty, identify opportunities and create desirable futures.
We serve our customers:
- through acquiring, analysing and building an understanding of future knowledge and information
- through the development of foresight skills
- through the development of continuous foresight activities that support organisation’s operations and strategy
- and by building an organisational foresight culture
Further information: Keijo Koskinen
The Futures Literacy for Business Renewal [FULIBRE] research group focuses on the application of the concept future literacy in business renewal and development.
Futures Literacy helps actors challenge unquestioned assumptions, widen perception of change, and identify new opportunities. The main goal is to understand how companies in Meyer Turku value network grow their capabilities to support business renewal in response to economic disruptions and climate change.
The research group and companies will co-design and test practical, methods for developing future literacy and applying this capability to act more innovatively and open-mindedly in changing business areas.
The research group members are Professor, D.Sc, Markku Wilenius, (PI) D.Sc. Leena Jokinen, Doctoral Researcher Nicolas Balcom Raleigh and Doctoral Researcher Martyn Richards. The research scope is 18 months during 1.1.2024-31.7.2025.
Further information: Leena Jokinen
In order to proactively prepare for, meet and respond to the challenges of the changing operational environment of the University of Turku (UTU), the Strategic Planning Unit launched a continuous strategic foresight and futures thinking process in the spring of 2022, which includes constant analysis of the operational environment; both nationally and globally.
The goal of strategic foresight and futures thinking is to;
- increase and strengthen UTU’s vitality and competitiveness now and in the future
- strengthen UTU’s ability to react to changes in the operating environment
- help allocate UTU´s resources in a sustainable way
- improve the quality and effectiveness of UTU´s operations and
- keep UTU as a vibrant and attractive university.
The overall aim is to support the strategic planning and management of the University as well as the University´s strategy work. The primary target group of the activity is the management of UTU at all decision-making levels.
Strategic foresight work is done in cooperation with e.g. the Finland Futures Research Centre and the strategic foresight network of Finnish universities established by the University of Turku.
Further information: Toni Ahlqvist, FFRC
Strategic Foresight for Sustainability (SF4S) supports the transition to a more sustainable European economy by addressing green and digital opportunities enabled by sustainability foresight and futures skills.
The collaborative action funded by the Erasmus+ programme connects Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers, innovation networks and business entities from the Agri-food, Health and Mobility sectors. The industry partners span from Estonian ice cream chain La Muu over the Turku-based venture fund Nordic Foodtech VC to global mobility giants Airbus and Lufthansa.
The project is carried out by 18 partners and is coordinated by Design School Kolding (DK). Finland Futures Research Centre is a partner and work package leader (WP2).
The project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union during 1.7.2022-30.6.2025 (Project ID 101056410).
Further information: Toni Ahlqvist, Tero Villman, Amos Taylor & Mikkel Stein Knudsen
UTU news 5.4.2023: Accelerating the green transition in Europe through foresight
In the Sustainable Futures co-research project VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) and Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) together with participating companies and cities, develop a data-driven impact model for assessing social sustainability and making visible the long-term value of solutions that promote sustainability.
The project investigates and validates ways of utilizing the model in the context of urban living and the built environment. Project is linked to the KONE Veturi programme. The novelty value of the project is particularly the analysis of the value of the solutions from the perspectives of social sustainability and different stakeholders. A special focus is on the development of indicators of the social dimension of sustainability. The need to develop indicators to validate the value of social sustainability is broadly recognized in the companies nationally and globally.
The regulation is getting tighter and sustainability requirements are now trickling down to smaller companies as well. In the future, sustainability is basically a part of business development. In the cases, we find out what kind of information and data is needed to evaluate the social sustainability of products and services and thus to develop an overall sustainable business. The starting point is a strong future orientation and participatory co-development approaches, which are grounded in the change of urban lifestyle.
The result is the Social Sustainability evaluation concept, which helps both to make the value of the solution visible and to develop socially sustainable ones. The results provide capabilities to make sustainability an international competitive advantage for Finnish companies. The project is for two years and during that time the innovation ecosystem of the co-innovation project v/ill be designed, which will act as a catalyst for the development of international business opportunities, in the emerging "Smart Block" field.
Project is funded by Business Finland during 1.4.2023-31.3.2025.
Further information: Toni Ahlqvist, FFRC
