labResearch programmes
Advanced research goes beyond the current agenda. It studies the forks in the road that could change the competitiveness and resilience of companies, industries and institutions.
01
Horizons
| Horizon | Period | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Near | Up to 2 years | Which changes are already forming and could turn into events? |
| Strategic | 2 to 5 years | Which trends will change the rules for industries and institutions? |
| Far | 5 to 15 years | Which futures need preparation today? |
The near horizon belongs to analysis and methodology, the strategic and far ones to advanced research. Weak signals pass between them through one shared register.
02
Standing programmes
- Technology and scientific developmentArtificial intelligence, robotics, materials, biotechnology, computing infrastructure, technology supply chains.
- Economy and industriesStructural change, investment, productivity, value chains, markets and the institutional environment.
- Critical infrastructure and resilienceEnergy, transport, communications, logistics, resources, the resilience of organisations and territories.
- Society and human capitalDemography, education, the mobility of talent, values, the labour market, professional skills.
- Information environmentMedia consumption, trust, platforms, resistance to manipulative content, the quality of public communication.
- International environmentTrade, technology, standards, regulatory trends, cross-border risks and opportunities.
The programmes launch in waves, and each launched programme has an owner in the core team. Topics without an owner run through the nodes of the expert network.
03
Lines of analysis
On the near horizon, analysis turns scattered facts into assessments that can be checked and used for a decision.
- Current analysisEvents and changes over the short horizon: the brief, the situation note, the warning.
- Medium-term analysisSystemic change and its consequences within two years: the strategic assessment, the map of options, the forecast.
- Risk analysisThe likelihood and consequences of threats: the risk register, the risk map, the indicators.
- Information environmentTopics, narratives, the dynamics of trust and attention, the assessment of communication risks.
- Actors and stakeholdersOrganisations, industries, interest groups and their public connections: the map of actors, the organisation profile.
- Industry researchDeep subject knowledge: industry reviews, the competitive environment, value chains.
04
Formats of work
- An annual strategic forecast: the key forks of the next year and of the 2-to-5-year horizon.
- Scenario sessions that work through several alternative futures, their drivers and indicators.
- A register of weak signals and indicators.
- Maps of technologies and critical dependencies.
- Forecasts checked against what happened, through the forecast register.
- Joint research with universities and the expert network.