Mini Trip report: Finland

Hi Everybody,

The Finnish International Studies Association brought me to keynote their conference to better integrate political science, international studies, and futures research. While in Finland I also addressed the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the Finnish Futures Research Center’s Foresight Certificate Program at the University of Turku. I also meet with representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, SITRA (Sustainable development think tank under Parliament), the Finish Future Society, and the Helsinki Node of the Millennium Project to form the group that will help create Finland’s work/technology national planning workshop to initiate Finland’s long-range strategy to address future work-tech dynamics. Sirkka Heinonen, chair of the Helsinki Node will call the first meeting of the group in a week or so to begin the planning for the workshop to be held – hopefully – sometime late spring.

Since the changes anticipated in economics and culture may take a generation or more to make according to the Future Work/Technology 2050 Real-Time Delphi and the alternative scenarios being prepared now, it is important to begin these national workshops as soon as possible and compare their initial results.

The full Future Work/Technology 2050 study has eight steps:
1. Literature and related research review
2. Real-Time Delphi international survey
3. Road maps and scenario drafts
4. Real-Time Delphi feedback on the draft road maps and scenarios
5. Final scenarios, policy implications, and production of an initial report
6. Initial report as input to national planning workshops
7. Collect results of the national planning workshops; analyze and synthesize results
8. Final report for public discussion

Next stop: Paris.

All the best,

Jerome C. Glenn, h.c. Dr. h.c. mult.
CEO, The Millennium Project www.millennium-project.org
Global Futures Intelligence System www.themp.org
2015-16 State of the Future millennium-project.org/millennium/201516SOF.html