FCT, ISEG, and the European Commission promoted an MLE Workshop – Mutual Learning Exercise

On December 5, FCT, ISEG, and the European Commission (Directorate-General for Research and Innovation) held a workshop with the active participation of representatives from all sectors of the National Research and Innovation System (R&I) and representatives from European countries participating in the current MLE-Mutual Learning Exercise (in Portuguese, Exercício de Aprendizagem Mútua), with the aim of discussing and agreeing on possible guidelines and joint work with a view to institutionalizing capacities and creating foresight communities in this system.

The following day, December 6, FCT hosted the meeting of this network, which, in addition to Portugal, includes representatives from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Romania, and Slovenia (more information here).

The MLE on R&I Foresight is the result of discussions held in three workshops organized between 2020 and 2021 by each of the presidencies of the Trio Presidencies of the Council of the European Union (DE-PT-SI), which aimed to map and relaunch foresight activities in the Member States, given the centrality of this topic in times of great uncertainty and crisis. The workshop organized by the Portuguese Presidency had as its theme "From Megatrends to Global Uncertainties on Research & Innovation (R&I)."

This MLE also fits in with the need for greater institutionalization of foresight in the policy-making process and in decision support, both within the European Commission and the Council of the EU. In the latter context, it is worth noting the launch of two European foresight networks, the Ministers of the Future network and the Senior Officials network.

The topics chosen for this MLE exercise, which will be the subject of separate workshops, were as follows:

• Institutionalization of capabilities and creation of forward-looking communities in the different components of the R&I system;
• Approaches and methods for citizen engagement;
• Prospects, twin transitions, and potential disruptions;
• From the perspective of Smart Specialization Strategies to involvement in European Union R&I programs, Missions, and Partnerships.

Each of these topics has an expert hired as a rapporteur.

This first workshop, focused on Portugal, had as its main objective the discussion of the evolution and emerging challenges for foresight in the National R&I System. The debate was open and participatory, with participants sharing their expectations and reflections on challenges and opportunities regarding the creation and institutionalization of foresight capabilities and competencies for R&I, in the country in general, and in their organizations in particular.

The participants in the meeting, both national and foreign, also shared their thoughts on how to develop training in Foresight for R&I in Portugal and in the European Research Area (ERA), considering that more training and education of staff in this area is essential, including tailored training and workshops on different topics, or even the introduction of the subject of foresight into the school curriculum, with ISEG being cited as an example of the adoption of this practice several years ago.

Finally, the importance and willingness to participate in an informal national network of Foresight for R&I was also emphasized, with a view to sharing information and knowledge, organizing events of common interest, including thematic pilots, with a view to creating critical mass and endogenizing foresight practices in processes.