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| Technology Foresight Training Course in Bulgaria |
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A Technology Foresight training course was organized by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the British Council with the support of ARC Fund, the PREST institute of the Victoria University of Manchester in the UK, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the General Secreteriat for Research and Technology of Greece, on November 26-29 at Hotel Perun in Bansko (southwestern Bulgaria). The aim was to build capacity amongst representatives of government authorities and the academic circles to use foresight in policy development.
UNIDO’s policy for promotion of foresight and a roadmap of future actions in the field were presented by Dr. Miyake from the Industrial Promotion and Technology Branch of UNIDO. Dr. Michael Keenan of PREST made an overview of the methods used in foresight and delivered practical sessions to help trainees transform the knowledge acquired into practical skills. The application of foresight and its efficiency were further illustrated by presenting the foresight experience of Hungary, Greece and the UK.
Dr. Attila Havas of the Institute of Economics at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences discussed the wide range of rationales for launching foresight initiatives and presented the Hungarian National Technology Foresight Program (TEP) which was carried our over the past few years. Dr. Nick Constantopoulos of the General Secreteriat for Research and Technology in Athens (Greece) illustrated the Greek experience gained in their national foresight program that is at present in its final stage of dissemination of results and consequential evaluation. The participants were made familiar with the management and coordination structure of the Greek foresight, its objectives and ultimate outcomes. Dr. Michael Keenan delivered a detailed presentation entitled “10 Years of Foresight in the UK” which revealed the course of running three consecutive cycles of national foresight initiatives in the UK over the past decade, the smaller-scale foresight initiatives, their efficiency and the lessons learnt.
Ms. Zoya Damianova of ARC Fund shared with the participants the experience gained through the ForeTech project - Technology and Innovation Foresight for Bulgaria and Romania supported by the STRATA Program under EC FP5, within which two pilot foresight exercises were conducted and local expertise in foresight was gained. In view of the second generation of Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) initiatives that are expected to begin in spring 2005 with the financial support of the EC, Ms. Damianova further elaborated in her presentation the correlation between Foresight and the RIS approach and how - by combining these two apporaches - regional stakeholders could better scope innovation strategies and policies at regional level
The training concluded with a presentation by Mr.Christian Svanfeldt of the Science and Technology Foresight Unit at DG Research of the European Commission, which was devoted to the Blueprints for Foresight Actions in the Regions – an EC initiative for developing practical guidelines to the setting up and planning of foresight. Blueprints build upon real problems in real regions, with strong stakeholder involvement. The blueprints expert group is built around a core group of experts on foresight processes, who steer the following five working groups:
FOR-RIS: foresight in the regions that have conducted a RIS/RITTS project or are going to start such projects; building on their results or starting in parallel;
UPGRADE: using foresight to stimulate the transformation of a traditional industrial region into a dynamic and knowledge-based economy;
TECHTRANS: development of differentiated portfolios or tool boxes for trans-regional innovation support mechanisms, especially those related to Trans-Regional Technology Transfer (TTT);
TRANSVISION: bridging neighboring regions belonging to different jurisdictions, i.e. historically and culturally close regions divided by national borders;
AGRIBLUE: foresight for sustainable territorial development: skills upgrading in rural area facing ‘abandonment’ addressing the negative impacts of the abandonment of agricultural) land; demand oriented (what are the needs of the regions?).
The Sofia City region and the Region of Lower Austria were used as a basis for scoping case studies in the FOR-RIS expert group focused on ideas for developing regional foresight in a RIS/RITTS project context. Ms. Zoya Damianova, Senior Advisor at ARC Fund, had been nominated to join the FOR-RIS working group and took part in elaborating the Blueprints section on cases where RIS/RITTS are conducted in parallel to achieve synergetic effect and mobilize businesses to participate in foresight through the RIS/RITTS.
Resources:
Outline of the Blueprints for Foresight Actions in the Region
FOR-RIS Blueprint Draft
UPGRADE Blueprint Draft
TECHTRANS Blueprint Draft
TRANSVISION Blueprint Draft
AGRIBLUE Blueprint Draft
Useful links
on Foresight in the UK:
www.foresight.gov.uk
www.strategy.gov.uk
www.youngforesight.org
http://les1.man.ac.uk/cric
on Foresight in Hungary:
www.foresight.hu
on EU Research and Innovation policy:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/future/index_en.html
http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/era/3pct/index_en.html
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/innovation/communication.htm
on EU industrial policy:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/events/industrial_policy/index.htm
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