Innovation futures in Europe. A foresight exercise on emerging patterns of innovation. Visions, scenarios and implications for policy and practice. European Policy Brief

This policy brief on future innovation landscapes in Europe has recently been published under the Socio-economic sciences and humanities programme of the EU's Seventh R&D Framework Programme (FP7). The document is a result of work under the FP7 INFU foresight project, which aims to analyse and discuss the evolution and diffusion of new innovation patterns in Europe and their implications for European policy. Specifically, the brief presents a range of key factors that are expected to influence the future of European innovation, as well as five potential scenarios for long-term innovation development patterns by 2025. The scenarios have been developed using standard foresight methods (expert panel, scenario development and assessment etc.) and through analysis of existing literature on new innovation patterns. Recommendations for policy makers, particularly with respect to the implications for the European Research Area under the outlined scenarios, are also presented in the report.