03 February 2014

On 21 January EIF offered a special opportunity to listen to the presentation of three parallel foresight projects run by the European Commission, ESPAS and EIF. James Elles, MEP and EIF Co-Founder, chaired this interesting event.

Franco Accordino, Head of taskforce ‘Digital Futures’, DG CONNECT at European Commission, presented ‘Digital Futures’ project findings and next steps:

According to the project’s findings by 2050, our cognitive and physical capabilities will be enhanced with bio-technological add-ons. Cyborgs will perform complex tasks like humans – they take over all routine jobs, from agriculture to construction, from office to industrial automation. People will live longer and healthier because we apply pre-birth prevention, regenerate and repair organs as needed. 

In 2050 the internet will connect bits and atoms at the speed of light. Its algorithms will orchestrate zillions of smart objects, which will share zettabytes of data every month, thus bridging the physical and virtual worlds instantaneously. In such a scenario, prediction and decision will be easier and faster than ever, based on scientific evidence and people aspirations and on the outcomes of experiments we do in a simulated world.

Listen to the full presentation of the European Commission’s ‘Digital Futures’ project:

‘Digital Futures’ presentation is available here (pdf download).

EIF's foresight report ‘The Digital World in 2030: What Place for Europe?’ was presented by Peter Linton, co-author of the report and advisor to the EIF Governors. 

5 years ago EIF presented a report called ‘The Digital World in 2025 - Indicators for European Action’. To keep up with the speed of change of technology, EIF on 18 March will launch an updated report. The new title is 'The Digital World in 2030: What Place for Europe?’. This report will look into the future to see what is Europe’s place in tomorrow’s digital world and what policy makers - like MEPs - should be aware of. This report is the outcome of a yearlong collaboration with experts from all over the world, including policy makers and representatives from industry and academia.

Listen to Peter Linton presenting main trends and messages of the upcoming report ‘The Digital World in 2030: What Place for Europe?’:

‘The Digital World in 2030 – What place for Europe?’ presentation is available here (pdf download).

Franck Debié, Chair of Inter-institutional Working Group 2 on the future of European Society, ESPAS, presented ‘The World in 2030’ project. He focused his presentation on why technological innovation will matter more than before (2015-2030) and elaborated on the following answers:

  1. To capture clients, investments and Human Resources within the new connected global middle class.
  2. To capture productivity gains to re‐boost growth
  3. To increase labour participation
  4. To deliver economies in education, care and health
  5. To offer training, decent wages and carriers outside the hyper‐productive sectors

 

Listen to the full presentation by Franck Debié:

‘The World in 2030’ presentation is available here (pdf download).

  • #FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY
  • #DIGITAL WORLD 2030

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