Outreach – Insight Foresight Institute

Basque Circular Summit 2025

During the days 2,3 and 4th of April, Insight Foresight Institute’s team attended the Basque Circular Summit 2025 in Bilbao. The event was organised by the Basque Government and Ihobe. Ihobe is a publicly owned company that works under the Basque Government’s Ministry of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability.

The BSC 2025 has been the largest event on circular economy in southern Europe this year. Overall, it addressed the challenges that the Basque Country has to face in the Circularity area. For that matter, many opportunities and projects were discussed and analysed. Furthermore, although the summit has a clear Basque perspective, the broader view that Spain and Europe have on circular economy was shown. In line with that, many experts were invited to participate in the summit, Janez Potocnik, Mónica Chao or Ioanis Retsoulis among many others.

The summit had three main areas of focus:

Forum: it covered a vast area of the Circular Economy. The forum was based on a variety of conferences given by research experts, companies and public administration figures. Given the number of subjects covered, there were parallel sessions, which facilitated participants to choose the conferences they were interested on.
Expo: as the name indicates it was an exposition that reunited the recent developments in the area of circular economy that Basque companies have done. The second day of the summit, the best innovations were given an award as a recognition for their contribution to CE.
Village: the village was held as the meeting point of the event. It was composed by stands of businesses and entities from the Basque Country. 20 stands were showing achievements in the field of sustainability along with future strategies. The village allowed participants to interact with each other and share common ideas on the subject.

Thanks to the forum, IFI’s team was able to attend to twelve sessions that covered the following themes: textile industry, the New Industrial Pact, critical raw materials, future CE challenges in Europe, Digital Product Passport, circular cities, sustainable finances, waste management in Europe, the role of consumers in CE, metrics for the environmental evaluation, clean technologies and eco-innovations for material’s efficiency.

Even though the event was organised by the Basque Government, every conference had the perspectives of institutions or enterprises from Euskadi, Spain and Europe. This factor was key to align the different initiatives and works towards a cooperative transition. Additionally, the number of participants and spectators surpassed the 1,300 which demonstrated the commitment of the people both from inside and outside the sector of the Circular Economy.

Summing up the Basque Circular Summit 2025 has shown the commitment of the Basque Country’s both private and public sectors with sustainable practices. It reaffirms that the path to follow in the next decades is going to be based on circular approaches, aligning with Europe’s long-term objectives. The Circular Economy is a challenge but above all, an opportunity to boost competitiveness in the Basque Country and in Europe.

Geopolitical & industrial decarbonisation scenarios to identify R&I opportunities for the EU

As part of ‘the Eye of Europe’ Horizon Europe Project, Insight Foresight Institute organised an in-person stakeholder workshop on ‘Geopolitical & industrial decarbonisation scenarios to identify R&I opportunities for the EU’ on 10-11 April 2025 in Madrid, Spain. The event consisted of debating around a primary issue on the EU’s agenda: how to navigate geopolitical issues to keep decarbonising the continent towards sustainable and competitive sectors.

The workshop gathered more than 30 experts specialised in different areas related to circular economy, decarbonisation, sustainability, innovation, geopolitics etc. The objective was to use foresight methods (scenarios and roadmaps) in order to plan different strategies to navigate industrial decarbonisation. For that matter, three different small groups were created:

Energy Security and Supply moderated by Attila Havas.
Critical Raw Materials moderated by Totti Könnölä.
Manufacturing in Hard-to-Abate Sectors moderated by Karl-Heinz Leitner.

Participants attended this two-day workshop which started with introductory presentations by experts from public institutions such as the European Commission or the Spanish Ministry of Industry. Once participants were put into context, the common scenario work began in the mentioned small groups. The second day, the debate was focused on roadmpaping for R&I needs and emerging areas. The findings and conclusions were gathered in the final plenary and will soon be published on a report.

The dynamic teamwork carried out by participants with such different backgrounds allowed to gather diverse outcomes from the exercise. The decarbonisation process of the European industry has already begun, and it is crucial to consider every factor in order to apply the adequate strategies. From the Insight Foresight Institute’s team we would like to thank all the participants that attended those two days to debate about the future of the decarbonisation process in Europe.

After the New Normal: Scenarios for Europe in the Post Covid-19 World

The team of Insight Foresight Institute developed this study alongside experts from Fraunhofer ISI and AIT. The study examined five alternative scenarios for Europe in 2040 emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption, focusing on their implications for EU research and innovation policy. The aim was to analyze how the pandemic’s amplification of global uncertainties might reshape long-term R&I priorities, and to provide policymakers with strategic perspectives on potential post-crisis evolution paths.

Based on extensive literature review and expert workshops, the study outlines five scenarios reflecting divergent futures shaped by the pandemic’s long-term effects on research, innovation, and social resilience. Rather than predicting a single outcome, these scenarios serve as strategic narratives to stimulate policy reflection and guide future decisions, exploring a range of possibilities in economic recovery, political cohesion, and societal transformation.

The five scenarios include:

Long Recession – Europe faces sustained economic stagnation, rising nationalism, and shrinking public R&I investments.
Back to ‘Normal’ – Attempts to return to pre-pandemic normalcy led to institutional stagnation.
Techno-Feudal Europe – Technological power concentrates in private hands, weakening democratic oversight.
Circular trials and real-life errors scenario – Economic model based on sharing, leasing, reuse, repair, refurbish and recycling in an (almost) closed loop.
Green Utopia – A transformation towards equity and ecological sustainability through coordinated green transitions.

The authors outline the core methodology, including horizon scanning and scenario-building. It positions research and innovation (R&I) as central levers for navigating uncertainty and advancing EU objectives. Emphasizing the need for:

Control over technological development.
Resilience, adaptability and crisis preparedness for times of crises.
The key role of education.
EU level financing for R&I.
Regional disparities in R&I performance.
Defining future priorities in R&I policy.

The report concludes with a call to reimagine Europe’s future beyond recovery—to build a more inclusive, forward-looking, and resilient Union. It recognizes that Covid-19 was not merely a crisis, but a pivotal moment to reshape the trajectories of European integration, innovation, and sustainability.

Authors

European Commission. Dictorate-General for Research and Innovation – Kerstin Cuhls (coordination, Fraunhofer ISI), Aaron Rosa (Fraunhofer ISI), Matthias Weber (AIT), Susanne Giesecke (AIT), Dana Wasserbacher (AIT), Totti Könnölä (IFI).

Acess to full report

After the new normal: Scenarios for Europe in the post Covid-19 world. A Foresight on Demand Project.

S&T&I FOR 2050: Science, Technology and Innovation for Ecosystem Performance – Accelerating Sustainability Transition

IFI’s team has developed this study alongside experts from AIT, Fraunhofer ISI, IP, ISINNOVA and Visionary Analytics. The present report shows the results of a study on S&T&I for 2050: science, technology and innovation for ecosystem performance – accelerating sustainability transitions. The aim was to identify, map and assess future scientific and technological developments that can radically improve or threaten ecosystem performance. The work was performed under the coordination of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. The manuscript was completed in May 2023.

Based on literature review, the project team developed three perspectives on future relations between humans and nature and humans’ role in the flourishing of planetary ecosystems. Drawing in addition on a two-round Dynamic Argumentative Delphi survey on the most dynamic scientific and technological developments, six cased studies on core sustainability issues explored the three perspectives. Reflections on implications for R&I policies in the context of the European Green Deal conclude each case study.

Chapter 2 scopes and deliberates an appropriate notion of ecosystem performance, functionally equivalent to “human performance” in relation to science, technology and innovation, taking into consideration socio-economic aspects. Based on literature review, three perspectives were identified that then built the basis of the study:

Protecting & Restoring. The notion of the ecosystem lays on distinctive nature sphere interacting with the human sphere. What it is proposed is to manage the impact of human activities to reach a desired target.
Co-shaping socio-ecological systems. The ecosystem is based on complex adaptative socio-ecological systems with no clear boundaries. It is proposed to move specific socio- ecological systems towards more beneficial dynamics.
Immersing & Caring with hybrid collectives. The notion of the ecosystem is based on pluriverse of hybrid entities with agency emerging out of relations to each other. The attitude towards its performance should be of negotiation with other inhabitants of critical zones to allow all to flourish on their own terms.

Chapter 3 maps strong and emerging trends in science, technology and innovation in relation to ecosystem performance in a way that is meaningful for S&T&I policy and allows to discuss the possible consequences for what and how to research and innovate with a wide range of stakeholders in order to contribute to the Green Deal and related EU policies and to raise awareness of changes in human health related to ecosystem changes. To identify future scientific and technological developments that can radically improve ecosystem performance, the study consulted the most cited researchers in a two-round Dynamic Argumentative Delphi survey.

Finally, Chapter 4 provides case studies with scenarios in selected fields to illustrate the new thinking and builds narratives on different lines of R&I development that could inform programming and implementation of Horizon, Europe and help to evaluate projects and policy decisions. They explore different scenarios related to the different perspectives on, and understandings of society-nature interactions, their pre-conditions, and implications. The following are the evaluated cases:

Law for Nature
Land Use Futures
Soil to Soul.
Accelerating Transitions to Regenerative Economy.
Ecosystems and Micro-and Nano Cosmos.
Data as Representation.

There has been a shift in the expectations of development in S&T&I since the turn of the centuries. Now, societal challenges have shifted towards global threats for human health and planetary health. This shift has made clear the urgency and the need to a broader perspective on how to accelerate transitions and how to keep on track to reach climate-neutrality by 2050. The authors conclude by stating that there is a need to (re-)consider the relation between society and nature in further developing the STI policy strategy.

Authors

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. Klaus Kubeczko, Project Coordination, Michael Bernstein, Dana Wasserbacher, Beatrix Wepner, Philine Warnke, Totti Könnölä, Liviu Andreescu, Bianca Dragomir, Radu Cristian Gheorghiu, Carlo Sessa, Daniel Cassolà, Žilvinas Martinaitis – S&T&I FOR 2050: Science, Technology and Innovation for Ecosystem Performance – Accelerating Sustainability Transition.

Acess to full report

S&T&I FOR 2050: Science, Technology and Innovation for Ecosystem Performance - Accelerating Sustainability Transition.

ERA Industrial Technologies Roadmap on Human-Centric Research and Innovation

The IFI team, contributed to the development of this project alongside a team formed by the members of Technopolis Group, Austrian Institute of Technologies. A roadmap on the area of industrial technology, focused on human-centric R&I is developed. The work was performed under the European Commission framework contract “Foresight on Demand” and was completed in May 2024.

Human centricity is one of the three pillars of Industry 5.0. This Roadmap shows how industrial innovation ecosystem stakeholders can take a leading role in achieving human-centric outcomes in technology development and adoption, such as improving workers’ safety and wellbeing, upskilling or learning. There are significant opportunities to capture the transformative potential of ground-breaking technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual worlds through more human-centric and user-driven design approaches. The roadmap recommends that policy makers support integrating human-centricity considerations in education and training, R&I funding and in company training and innovation strategies.

The study starts by explaining the basis of its research: Industry 5.0 and Human-centricity. Industry 5.0 represents a transformative vision of the industry, positioning it as a driver of sustainability, resilience, and human-centricity. This vision supports a paradigm shift toward industries that operate within planetary boundaries, leave no one behind, and actively contribute to well-being and planetary regeneration.

Human-centricity is one of the three pillars of Industry 5.0, aligning with the European Commission’s priorities for an Economy that Works for People, alongside initiatives for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age and the EU Green Deal. In other words, it is a framework that places human needs, characteristics and experiences at the centre of design, development and implementation of technological solutions. Historically, human-centricity in technology development has been approached through Human-Centred Design (HCD).

However, the adoption of human-centric approaches faces important challenges. Difficulties in technology design encompass the absence of practical guidelines and standards, the complexity arising from required high customisation, and the difficulty in adopting a multidisciplinary approach involving ergonomics, behavioural science, cognitive processes, and socio-cultural dimensions within the manufacturing workforce.

Adoption and implementation of human-centric approaches to technology need further evidence of a favourable return on investment and are faced with complications due to the multidisciplinary requirements in deployment, attracting a skilled workforce, ensuring harmonious integration with existing infrastructure, budget constraints and increased workloads during scale-up.

The roadmap outlines key dimensions for advancing human-centricity in Industry 5.0 taking the previous challenges into account:

Technologies and their potential: the roadmap identifies technologies that leverage human creativity and intelligent machines to create resource-efficient, user-centred manufacturing solutions.
Organizational environment: it focuses on processes, methods, and managerial practices that enhance human-centricity, such as human-centred design processes and workflow management.
R&I investments: highlights public and private sector investments in human-centric technologies and start-ups.
Framework conditions: examines societal, demographic, and governance drivers, as well as skills, competencies, and infrastructure needed to support human-centricity.

Authors

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Seán O’Reagain, Lura Roman, Doris Schröcker, Evgeni Evgeniev and Peter Dröl. With the collaboration of Orestas Strauka Carmen Moreno, Izabella Martins Grapengiesser, Krystel Montpetit, Viola Peter, Karl-Heinz Leitner, Huu-Quynh-Huong Nyuyen, Nico Pintar, Wolfram Rhomberg, Manfred Tscheligi, Setareh Zafari and Totti Könnölä . ERA Industrial Technologies Roadmap on Human-Centric Research and Innovation – Foresight on demand (FoD), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Acess to full report

ERA Industrial Technologies Roadmap on Human-Centric Research and Innovation