Signal EU's Foresight on Demand scales up into a framework-contract service

Summary

Foresight on Demand is a framework-contract service that gives European Commission directorates-general immediate, tailored foresight on the issues they face. It emerged after the long-range foresight used in Horizon 2020 planning proved too slow for shocks such as COVID-19 and was criticized for failing to turn potential issues into policy options. The first phase ran from 2019 to 2023 on about 5 million euros under Horizon 2020, and the second phase, launched in 2024 for 2024 to 2028, uses Horizon Europe funds and has grown to about 20 million euros. The second phase lets tasks be ordered without separate tenders whenever a policy issue arises. The consortium is coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Technology and comprises 20 foresight organizations, 15 core and 5 specialist partners, including Fraunhofer ISI and RAND Europe. It works alongside the foresight unit of the European Parliamentary Research Service, which focuses on long-term trend analysis for members of parliament.