Institute For The Future

Announcing the 2011 Technology Horizons Research Agenda!

The second decade of the new millennium will be about finding our footing to survive and thrive in an increasingly uncertain and volatile world. As we begin the decade, the 2011 Technology Horizons program will conduct a ten-year scan on the future of science and technology to identify the most important emerging conceptual and practical frameworks

for new growth. We will also drill down into three areas that are poised for disruptive change: energy, manufacturing, and how children are experiencing new technologies.??

In addition to our client events, this year we are very excited to open up several of our expert workshops to Tech Horizons members for the first time in several years. Join us to listen in on our expert roundtable workshops, meet the experts, and take the chance to give us early feedback on the deliverables!??

SPRING:

The new approaches to manufacturing that are set to take hold over the next few years. How will we be rethinking industrial production in 2021??

Expert Roundtable: March 1, Institute for the Future office.

Client Workshop: April 18, Palo Alto, exact location TBD. At this interactive workshop, the focus will be on foresight and conversation. Our team will present our latest research on the far reaching implications of open fabrication for traditional manufacturing, design, and consumption.??

SUMMER:

We explore the key disruptive technologies that will reshape our energy futures—from algae that change sewage into fuel, to new biofuels and green computing. How will these reshape the texture of daily life for families and businesses in 2021??? We will synthesize our research into the Alternate Energy Futures Map of the Decade, which will be presented at the client workshop.

Expert Roundtable: Friday, April 8, Institute for the Future office.

Client Workshop: May 26, in Palo Alto. Our Alternate Energy Futures Map will forecast the impact of four alternative energy scenarios on households, markets, organizations,and other institutions, with a focus on regional energy tech ecosystems in California, China, India, and Brazil.

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FALL:  

Our annual conference, September 14-15 at Cavallo Point in Sausalito. During the conference, the team will present the Technology Horizons Ten-Year Forecast Map and report, which dive deep into the critical hotspots and innovation in the 2021 landscape.?? We’ll scan the horizon of materials science, information technology, life sciences, and energy R&D for the emerging paradigms and practices that will transform our lives over the next decade. We’ll focus on those developments expected to profoundly alter our workplaces, business models, consumption, and social lives.  Early possible topics include: green computing, public technologies, zero-gravity innovation, and collaborative consumption solutions.

WINTER:

November 9 we will hold our Kids' Tech workshop, to explore what technology looks like for today's digital natives, and how tomorrow's young people will use technology to remake their world. Toys and play have always helped to prepare kids for the world that they would face as adults. What does “technology” look like for today’s young digital natives? What new forms of play and learning might we see emerge by 2021? We will synthesize our research in a memo presented at the workshop.

 

Please contact Sean Ness or Lisa Mumbach (our new Technology Horizons program coordinator) for further details. Some of these dates are subject to change, but we will keep you informed of any updates. Keep visiting our website for updated information about our 2011 projects, blogs, and much more!