SFP

In today’s volatile world marked by global crises, the necessity for strategic foresight has ascended to rising levels of recognition and urgency. Adaptive capacities vary considerably across Europe. Regional policymakers need to find ways to interact differently with stakeholders, especially by moving away from seeking a predictable single future toward the possibility of multiple transition pathways that offer flexibility and resilience in the face of rapid change.

The Strategic Foresight Partnership (SFP) aims to bring together European regions to exchange knowledge and practices on strategic foresight, fostering collaborative learning by using existing materials and leveraging collective expertise. The key objectives are: (i) improving strategic foresight capacity at regional level; (ii) enhancing adaptive and systemic governance approaches at regional level to better achieve cohesion policy goals; and (iii) facilitating multi-level knowledge exchange between regions and the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS). This partnership gathers together 7 European regions with different level of development and different levels of foresight capacity.

The SFP taps the pool of diverse strategic foresight expertise and transfers the knowledge and best practices through workshops, seminars, policy dialogues, and research. Leveraging the unique characteristics of each region enhances the capacity to tailor policies to specific local circumstances and ensure effective implementation at the grassroots level.

Overall, the SFP aims to increase awareness, capacity, and stakeholder engagement for multi-level strategic foresight within Europe with a strong emphasis on the involvement of regional governments and actors. By enabling regions to apply foresight tools, the SFP aims to enhance the effectiveness and relevance of cohesion policies, thereby fostering greater social, economic, and territorial cohesion across the European Union.