Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FUTURESILIENCE (Creating FUTUre societal RESILIENCE through innovative, science-based co-creation labs)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2023-12-31
Multiple, overlapping and interconnected crises have become increasingly frequent over the last two decades. This has raised interest in resilience, testing the capacities of different stakeholders to cope, adapt and build back better. The pandemic, disasters, energy or climate change highlighted inequalities in the public, private and civil society sectors and at all institutional levels in how we are prepared to face unexpected adverse events and deal with uncertainty. Research and Innovation (R&I) can play a key role by providing a basis for a more flexible and responsive capacity of stakeholders in crisis periods, informing policy development and decision-making, and thus, strengthening resilience and preparedness for future events.
The FUTURESILIENCE project aims to strengthen the economic and social resilience of Europe and thereby its ability to quickly respond to future crises. In particular, the project will:
- Map existing policy relevant European R&I findings with high potential to inform policy making for economic and social resilience, and to help address societal challenges at local level. The findings will include research results from European funded research and good practices at national, regional and local level as well as policy recommendations by international organisations;
- Define a set of methodologies for testing how far the identified R&I findings can inform policies addressing national, regional and local needs. Testing methodologies will comprise multi-stakeholder approaches from participatory foresight, and in particular, the scenario methodology, as well as simulation, agent-based modelling and design thinking/co-creation;
- Implement the testing methodologies through ten multi-stakeholder experiments (“FUTURESILIENCE labs”). The labs will work on diverse societal challenges that may be impacted by different crises. Facilitated by consortium partners, the labs will discuss and co-create solutions aiming to build societal resilience. During this experimentation, multiple stakeholders will discuss, and test evidence-based strategies tailored to their specific context and matching their local needs;
- Develop a Knowledge Base of successfully tested research findings with the highest capacity to inform policy and a Toolbox of methods for testing policy relevant research findings. The project will also produce a Policy Roadmap serving as basis to develop new science based, socially inclusive and gender responsive policy initiatives and solutions.
The FUTURESILIENCE project aims to strengthen the economic and social resilience of Europe and thereby its ability to quickly respond to future crises. In particular, the project will:
- Map existing policy relevant European R&I findings with high potential to inform policy making for economic and social resilience, and to help address societal challenges at local level. The findings will include research results from European funded research and good practices at national, regional and local level as well as policy recommendations by international organisations;
- Define a set of methodologies for testing how far the identified R&I findings can inform policies addressing national, regional and local needs. Testing methodologies will comprise multi-stakeholder approaches from participatory foresight, and in particular, the scenario methodology, as well as simulation, agent-based modelling and design thinking/co-creation;
- Implement the testing methodologies through ten multi-stakeholder experiments (“FUTURESILIENCE labs”). The labs will work on diverse societal challenges that may be impacted by different crises. Facilitated by consortium partners, the labs will discuss and co-create solutions aiming to build societal resilience. During this experimentation, multiple stakeholders will discuss, and test evidence-based strategies tailored to their specific context and matching their local needs;
- Develop a Knowledge Base of successfully tested research findings with the highest capacity to inform policy and a Toolbox of methods for testing policy relevant research findings. The project will also produce a Policy Roadmap serving as basis to develop new science based, socially inclusive and gender responsive policy initiatives and solutions.
During the first year of the project a mapping exercise was conducted, including research from CORDIS and OVERTON databases, following a methodology aligned with the conceptual understanding of societal resilience and the project policy focus. As result, the consortium created a Knowledge Base with more than 600 policy actions for building and strengthening societal resilience in multiple key areas were identified. The consortium also developed a toolbox for policy testing, including process, policy and thametic tools to support policy- and decision-makers to set up participatory processes underpinning future oriented policies for societal resilience.
Furthermore, three pilot cases started their activities (Murcia, Chios and BAPEMED), including workshops to engage with stakeholders and framing their challenges (climate impacts, migration and healthcare system). We have also launched an open call and selected seven pilots that will join the project in the experimentation phase and work on key policy areas such as urban development, agriculture, mobility, health, welfare, industries, environment. Each lab will work on a defined societal challenge within these broader topics and analyse how it evolves and interrelates with other challenges and crises in the long term.
Furthermore, three pilot cases started their activities (Murcia, Chios and BAPEMED), including workshops to engage with stakeholders and framing their challenges (climate impacts, migration and healthcare system). We have also launched an open call and selected seven pilots that will join the project in the experimentation phase and work on key policy areas such as urban development, agriculture, mobility, health, welfare, industries, environment. Each lab will work on a defined societal challenge within these broader topics and analyse how it evolves and interrelates with other challenges and crises in the long term.
Overall, the project expects to contribute to the following foreseen impacts:
- Promote the adoption of innovative tools to foster societal resilience, enabling the capacity to navigate diverse types of crises and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Increase alignment of R&I system with societal needs, expectations and values and enhance societal and policy trust in an open, inclusive and accessible R&I system.
- Promote participation and inclusiveness through increased engagement of citizens.
The project has set up the pillars to implement the experimentation activities in the ten FUTURESILIENCE labs and has thus started the pathways to achieve the expected impacts, including the setup of beta versions of the Knowledge Base and Toolbox and selected the final 10 labs that will work on multiple challenges. At the core of the experimentation, citizen and stakeholders’ engagement is key for success along with active participation and commitment from the policy sector. This will be reinforced in by implementing upcoming policy guidance from the European Commission such as the code of practice for citizen engagement and the planned code of practice for science for policy, as part of the wider knowledge valorisation policy.
- Promote the adoption of innovative tools to foster societal resilience, enabling the capacity to navigate diverse types of crises and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Increase alignment of R&I system with societal needs, expectations and values and enhance societal and policy trust in an open, inclusive and accessible R&I system.
- Promote participation and inclusiveness through increased engagement of citizens.
The project has set up the pillars to implement the experimentation activities in the ten FUTURESILIENCE labs and has thus started the pathways to achieve the expected impacts, including the setup of beta versions of the Knowledge Base and Toolbox and selected the final 10 labs that will work on multiple challenges. At the core of the experimentation, citizen and stakeholders’ engagement is key for success along with active participation and commitment from the policy sector. This will be reinforced in by implementing upcoming policy guidance from the European Commission such as the code of practice for citizen engagement and the planned code of practice for science for policy, as part of the wider knowledge valorisation policy.