Futur - foresight for priority-setting in Germany

This paper is the description of an ongoing process which is liable to change as a direct result of the experiences learned here from the German foresight process called Futur (after the Latin word for future), which is being conducted on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to work out priority-setting in research until the end of 2002. Futur is oriented towards societal needs. Leading visions will be the major outcomes of the process which will be translated into research programs or projects. The participation of a broader audience in different kinds of workshops and the combination of different methodologies are other characteristics of the process. The major lessons learned up to November 2001 are summarised in this paper. A more detailed evaluation will be conducted at the end of the project (autumn 2002).