Europe's Futures: First Foresight Workshop for the Federal Foreign Office
24th July 2023 — On behalf of the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt, AA), the DLR Projektträger organised the first Strategic Foresight Workshop for 20 diplomats from Germany and other European countries to discuss the future role of the continent. The event, which took place from 12 to 14 July, was organised and held as part of the AA's training programme for international diplomats. In the Strategic Foresight workshop, the DLR Projektträger, together with the diplomats and EU experts, analysed current trends and so-called "signals of change" and showcased methods for their early detection. This enabled participants to prepare for future challenges and develop innovative approaches to formulate strategies.
Developing scenarios for Europe's role in global politics
A highlight of the workshop was the Futures Literacy Laboratory on "The Future of the EU as a Global Actor 2040", led by the DLR Projektträger and conducted together with the diplomats. In this laboratory, participants created different scenarios of possible future world orders and discussed the implications for Europe's role in international politics. The cooperation between the DLR Projektträger and the "Diplomacy by Networking" team at the Federal Foreign Office has made it possible to integrate innovative methods into the training of European diplomats. Equipped with these skills, Strategic Foresight can help participants to improve their decision-making processes and to proactively shape future developments.
The DLR Projektträger’s broad methodological portfolio on Strategic Foresight
The services provided by the DLR Projektträger cover every single step of the Foresight process. Its experts identify relevant stakeholders, prepare comprehensive analyses and studies, and develop scenarios, roadmaps and strategies. The DLR Projektträger team is also trained to design and conduct Futures Literacy Labs. For its consultations and evaluations, the team uses tested models such as the Strategic Impact Navigation Assessment Model (SINAVI), which it developed. In addition to the Federal Foreign Office, the DLR Projektträger's clients for studies or individual training in Strategic Foresight methods include the European Commission, the European Parliament Research Service, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS), European innovation agencies, the Centre for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies at the University of Bonn, the Berlin University Alliance and the Universidad Tecnológica del Uruguay.