Technology foresight, like forecasting, is concerned with the future-with the generation of reasoned statements about the future, the interpretation of such statements in terms of informed action, and the collective learning processes that are involved in responding to challenges of the future. Recent years have witnessed an upsurge of foresight activity, especially in Europe but elsewhere as well, to the effect that in many countries technology foresight has now established itself as a key instrument of strategic policy intelligence. Also, at a time when science and technology (S&T) are becoming increasingly pivotal to the well-being of knowledge-based societies, we believe that this special issue appears at a very opportune moment. We therefore thank Professor Derek Bunn for providing us with the opportunity to act as Guest Editors for this special issue.
Broadly conceived, technology foresight is an instrument of strategic policy intelligence which seeks to generate an enhanced understanding of possible scientific and technological developments and their impacts on economy and society, in order to support the shaping of sustainable S&T policies, the alignment of research and development (R&D) efforts with societal needs, the intensification of collaborative R&D activities and the systemic long-term development of innovation systems. Thus, the scope of technology foresight is very extensive: it encompasses not only technologies and their applications but public policies and societal challenges as well.
Characterized by a strong focus on technology, early foresight exercises were often motivated by the desire to provide inputs to the shaping of S&T policies and, in particular, to the setting of S&T funding priorities. This strong emphasis on technology has diminished in relative terms, as most of recent exercises have paid considerable attention to the elaboration and analysis of challenges in fields such as education, services, health, and environment, among others. The increasing importance of these societal concerns is also reflected in terminology: today, most foresight activities are subsumed under the shorter label 'foresight', to stress that the focus is not on technology as such but, rather, on the identification and exploitation of S&T-driven opportunities in relation to society. As Kerstin Cuhls argues in her paper, this broad scope is one of the defining characteristics of foresight which sets it apart from conventional forms of forecasting: i.e. the very remit of foresight calls for the creative envisioning of alternative futures and the pursuit of processual objectives