Looking into the future of science: 2040 and beyond
Even the most developed countries cannot develop every aspect of S&T. Prioritising the right areas for development and making resources available is determined largely by innovational leaders in the long-term, whose ability to predict future markets today is crucial for success.
Even the most developed countries cannot develop every aspect of S&T. Prioritising the right areas for development and making resources available is determined largely by innovational leaders in the long-term, whose ability to predict future markets today is crucial for success.On November 18–20, 2015 the Higher School of Economics will host the International academic conference 'Foresight and STI Policy'. Experts from all over the world will gather to discuss the shape of science and technology in the future, setting and implementing S&T development priorities, international cooperation in the area, further development of foresight methodology, and improving S&T policy tools. This year the conference will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation organisation (APEC).
Experts from the OECD, the Universities of Singapore and Ottawa, Georgia Institute of Technology, the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), Japan, the Centre for Strategic Studies and Management in Science, Technology and Innovation (CGEE), Brazil, the Institute of Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (IEHAS) and the Greek company Help-Forward will explain how to use foresight methods to make more informed decisions about strategic areas of development in conditions of reduced government budgets and increased S&T spending.
Monitoring technological trends is an important part of foresight. A study of trends in methodology for researching the future shows that over a few decades the tools for prognosis have changed radically. But how? Researchers from Lincoln University, the University of the West of England and Singularity University (California) will analyse the situation in their presentations on new approaches to organising and implementing foresight projects. Researchers from the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge will talk about the new methods used in Russia for making long-term predictions and how work will proceed in the next stage of creating a long-term prognosis for Russia's S&T development up to 2040.
Managing science and supporting innovation in developed economies is based on carefully measured evidence-based tools. New approaches in S&T policy and the interdependence of elements and effects from innovational systems are analysed in examples from leaders (EC-10, USA, South Korea) and developing economies (Russia, Turkey and others) by researchers at Seoul University, George Washington University, the Middle East Technical University (Turkey), Joanneum Research Company (Austria) and HSE colleagues. Experts will present the latest designs for S&T management, including mechanisms to integrate various tools, policy evaluation in government funded R&D and institutional aspects of innovation policy.On the second day of the conference, participants in the Seminar of APEC economies 2015 on STI cooperation will discuss competition and cooperation as factors in scientific development. Seminar experts from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico and representatives of the Russian Ministries of Economic Development and Science and Education, will make presentations on new trends in APEC policy (seamless economics, knowledge without borders). Separately, HSE will present the results of a report commissioned by the APEC secretariat on 'Developing methodology and analysis for cooperation in STI policy in APEC countries'.
The conference is organised by HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge that since 2006 comprises the International Research and Educational Foresight Centre, and supported by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.