A talk given in Vienna - looking at some of the emerging challenges for innovation focus over the next decade. Drawing on insights from the Future Agenda project and some perspectives on how we need to innovate differently going forward, this is the keynote talk at the Austria Innovation Forum.

1. The World in 2025 | The Future of Innova7on
Austria Innova-on Forum | Vienna | 15 October 2015
Dr Tim Jones | Programme Director

2. Future Agenda
The Future Agenda is the world’s largest open foresight program
that accesses mul-ple views of the next decade
so all can be beGer informed and s-mulate innova-on.

3. Future Agenda 1.0 Top Insights for 2020
From the 2010 program, 52 key insights on the next decade were shared
widely and have been extensively used by organisa-ons around the world.
And Future Agenda became the world’s largest open foresight plaLorm.

4. Future Agenda in Numbers
The first Future Agenda programme engaged a wide range of views in
25 countries. Future Agenda 2.0 has doubled the face-to-face interac-on
and significantly raised online sharing, debate and discussion.
Future Agenda 1.0
1 HOST
16 TOPICS
25 COUNTRIES
50 WORKSHOPS
1500 ORGANISATIONS
Future Agenda 2.0
50 HOSTS
25 TOPICS
35 COUNTRIES
108 WORKSHOPS
4500 ORGANISATIONS

5. Future Agenda 2.0 Topics
The second version of the Future Agenda program is taking place
during 2015 and has been addressing 20+ topics via 100+ events in
40 ci-es in 35 countries in partnership with around 50 core hosts.
Ageing
Ci7es
Company
Connec7vity
Data
Educa7on
Energy
Food
Government
Health
Learning
Loyalty
Payments
Privacy
Resources
Transport
Travel
Water
Wealth
Work

6. Eight Key Themes
Across the mul-ple discussions, 86 emerging issues seem to be touching
upon and connec-ng with eight underlying, and interwoven, themes.
Many of these provide significant opportuni-es for innova-on.
The Five
Certain7es
Interconnected
Systems
The Data
Revolu7on
Unequal
Access
Our
Habitat
Beliefs and
Belonging
Power and
Influence
Changing
Business

7. Five Certain7es

8. The Human Age
We in an age where we are having an irrecoverable long-term impact on the planet.
The Anthroprocene is the era when many geologically significant condi-ons and
processes are profoundly altered by human ac-vi-es – and it is underway.

9. Interconnected Systems

10. Air Quality
Rising air pollu-on in many emerging ci-es is killing people and becomes
the visible catalyst for changing mind-sets. It drives public support for new
policies across health, energy, transporta-on and urban design.

11. Food Waste
The 30-50% of food wasted either in the supply chain or in consump-on could feed
another 3 billion every day. Focus is on using data to op-mise distribu-on and
storage in developing countries and enabling beGer consumer informa-on in others.

12. The Data Revolu7on

13. The Increasing Value of Data
As organisa-ons grab more data, it becomes a currency with a value and a price:
It therefore requires marketplaces – transparent ecosystems for trading data
- so anything that is informa-on is represented in data marketplaces.

14. Ethical Machines
Machines are as smart as humans as automa-on spreads beyond trading and drones
to driverless cars and managing systemic risk. As we approach technology singularity,
autonomous robots and algorithms make ethical judgments that impact life or death.

15. Enhanced Performance
The widespread adop-on of wearables, implants and greater connec-vity to
ever more data, enables some of us to gain advantage over others by
improving our performance beyond our natural, gene-c capability.

16. Unequal Access

17. Educa7on Revolu7on
Networked schools and learning plaLorms encourage self-organised educa-on
for all. Teachers provide prompts, not answers, and help students learn from
one another. Non-linear high content learning becomes the global norm.

18. Transport Access
Transport is an influencer of society and is undergoing a transi-on centred less on
vehicles - specifically the car - and more on the mix of integrated transport op-ons,
proximity of online availability to the goods and services that society demands.

19. Our Habitat

20. Housing Everyone
Mass migra-on and localised popula-on explosions drive up the cost of both
housing access and home ownership. In many ci-es, this leads to the development
of new living spaces and ownership models that try to accommodate more of us.

21. Built-In Flexibility
Cri-cal infrastructure is both smarter and inherently adaptable,
accommoda-ng mul-ple use op-ons, changing business models and
open networks. Buildings have future flexibility built-in.

22. Off-Planet Living
Rapid technological advances, coupled with the ambi-ons of emerging powers and
wealthy individuals, lead to a new race to colonise space. A priority in this is
long-term habita-on on Mars as the seed for a future New World migra-on.

23. Beliefs and Belonging

24. Social Coagula7on
Geographically disparate groups (re)connect to reinforce ideas and exclude
others - crea-ng opportuni-es to reinforce ideas and normalise ac-ons
which otherwise might seem extreme as they grow more powerful.

25. Urban Obesity
Mass urbanisa-on, reduced ac-vity and poor diets are accelera-ng the rise of obesity.
As half the global popula-on is overweight, levels of obesity in most ci-es are growing
fast and the associated healthcare burden will soon account for 5% of global GDP.

26. Aging in Community
Individuals, families as well as healthcare payers desire to keep older
people living healthy and independent loner. This requires upgraded infrastructure,
transporta-on systems and thoughLul products and services.

27. Power and Influence

28. New World Order
As demographic shihs, new alliances and economic challenges re-align global
power and influence, new leaders emerge and control in the world changes
in favour of some - but with others s-ll holding the balance.

29. Cyber Terrorism
Catastrophe-driven change is a func-on of 21st century living, par-cularly with respect
to cyber threats to society and commerce. The race is on to see if we will contribute
effec-vely in these areas or require disaster to spark our collec-ve response.

30. Changing Business

31. Standards Driving Innova7on
Across key areas standards increasingly drive innova-on. From sustainability metrics
for new ci-es in China to Formula E driving developments in the automo-ve sector,
we will see new a rah of innova-ons that evolve in response to proac-ve regula-on.

32. Energy Storage
We will see substan-al improvements in energy storage leading to accelerated
growth in renewable energy, especially solar power, with the adop-on of smart
grids and micro-grids enabling the long-term transforma-on of the energy system.

33. Currencies of Meaning
New trusted currencies of exchange and meaning emerge to beGer facilitate
transac-ons, trade, authen-ca-on and valida-on. Money as a means of exchange is
complemented new systems to which we aGach greater significance.

34. Last Mile Delivery
Seamless, integrated and shared last-mile delivery replaces inefficient compe--on
and duplica-on of goods distribu-on: Greater efficiency in moving things is as
important as efficiency in moving people and so a major focus for innova-on.

35. Some Shi]s in How We Innovate

36. Speed to Scale
Greater global connec-vity, growing average consumer wealth, broader reach
and the adop-on of standard plaLorms all combine to accelerate the
-me to 1bn customers for start-ups and new corporate ventures alike.

37. The Sharing Economy
Increasing collabora-on drives companies to re-organise based on social networks.
The sharing economy changes the shape of many organisa-ons, but the shih in
the role of the company from employer to facilitator challenges many.

38. Deeper Collabora7on
Partnerships shih to become more dynamic, agile, long-term, democra-sed and
mul--party collabora-ons. Compe-tor alliances and wider public par-cipa-on drive
regulators to create new legal frameworks for open, empathe-c collabora-on.

39. Organisa7on 3.0
New forms of flaGer, project-based, collabora-ve, virtual, informal
organisa-ons dominate - enabled by technology and a global mobile workforce.
As such the nature of work and the role of organisa-on itself blurs.

40. The End of IP?
Following change in the music industry, technologies such as
3D prin-ng are decoupling the produc-on of content from
the original creator and, in doing so, IP is becoming irrelevant.

41. Business Model Open Innova7on
Increasing sector-to-sector transfer of know-how, independent
of IP, enables successful approaches to be adopted and
adapted without value transfer between par-es.

42. Future Agenda
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+44 203 0088 141
futureagenda.org
The world’s leading open foresight program
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