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The FNR Foresight

Thinking for the Future Today –

A Participative Process

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Aims of the Foresight Exercise

Identification of National Research Priorities in the public sector with short-term and/or long-term socio-economic interest for Luxembourg

• Scientific and political rationale for this choice of priorities

• Shared understanding of stakeholders

• Proposal of set of priorities to government

Identification of research priorities for future FNR programmes

Consolidation of communication networks among stakeholders• Science is a (constantly changing) networking activity• Need residential expertise to absorb new knowledge

The question remains the same for small or big countries: in which areas should Government concentrate public funding for science?

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The Exercise

Online Questionnaire

Exploratory Workshop

‘Long list’ of research domains

Initial assessment

Selection of broad research fields

Stakeholder Workshops

No formal input

General Challenges for Luxembourg

Expert workshops per field

SWOT Analysis

Initial assessment of domains

Future trends

Luxembourg context

Research priorities candidates

Conclusion and recommendations

Identifying Priorities

Setting a Context

Interviews

Data collection

Bibliometrics

International research trends

Evaluation of FNR programmes

Mapping of Lux. Research landscape

‘Long list’ of possible research domains

Aims:

Method:

Input:

Results:

Creating a Baseline

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Prioritization Funnel

Phase 2: 19 Research Domains

+ 4 Technology Platforms

FNR CS CA prioritisation 6 Research Priorities

Phase 1: „Long List“: 56 possible research areas

with about 250 research issues

End of Phase 1:about 25 Research Domains

Official Presentation of the Final Report to the MCESR: June 18th, 2007

Further prioritization

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National Priorities

Innovation in Services

Sustainable Resource Management

New Materials, Surfaces and Sensing Devices

Biomedical Sciences

Labour Market, Educational Requirements and Social Protection

Identities, Diversity and Integration

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Innovation in Services

•Modernise legislation for

improvement of innovation capacity

•Optimise of financial sub-systems

• technical infrastructures for the

distribution of media

•Consolidate Luxembourg’s reputation

as a safe harbour

• ICT architecture benefiting crisis and

disaster management

•Development and improvement of

services

Business

Service

Design and

Innovation

Fostering the

Economic and

Legal

Framework for

Innovation

Information

Security and

Trust

Management

Telecom-

munications

and Multimedia

Performance &

Development of

Financial

Systems

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Sustainable Resource Management

•Attain a systematic and holistic understanding of the energy and material flows

•Well-balanced portfolio for energy

•Soil and water protection•Sustainable food production•Economic development,

controlled urbanisation, while providing a liveable habitat for its population and protecting

Managing sustainable

development

Understanding ecosystems and

biodiversity

Sustainable management

of water resources Sustainable

uses and sources of

energy

Sustainable agro-systems management

Spatial and urban

development

8

New Materials, Surfaces and Sensing Applications

•Collaborations between public and private research sectors

•Wide range of technological, scientific and economic opportunities

•Novel materials enable innovation in a large number of applications

• new sensing devices based on new

sensing effects and phenomena.

• Nanostructured materials, surfaces

or coatings allow for the exploitation

of new physical and chemical effects

• Solutions to environmental and

health-related issues (e.g.

replacement of toxic materials)

New

Sensor

Devices

Novel

Functional

Materials

Surface

Function-

alisation

Nanomaterials

and

Nanocoatings

Intelligent

Materials

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Biomedical Sciences

Public and Environmental Health

Regenerative Medicine

Translational Research

•Understand the impact of life-style, social context and environment on public health and the healthcare system (In particular Ageing)

•To develop new ways of prevention, diagnosis and treatment:• Regenerative Medicine: Regenerating damaged tissues • Translating basic research findings into a useful therapeutic drug candidate

or diagnostic tool

10

Labour Market, educational

requirements and social protection

Microeconomy

Sociology Macroeconomy

Psychology Demography

Research on Labour Market, educational requirements

and social protection

Better understand the functioning of the

Luxembourg labour market

Improving the educational

system

Provide the basis for evidence-based

policy making

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Identities, diversity and integration

• To empirically analyse the present

state of society (e. g. cultural identities, barriers for

participation, segregation trends in

education, housing, etc.),

• To contribute to understanding the

dynamics of change of the society

• To support policy making with

data, conceptual clarifications, and

recommendations

Language / Languages

Education

Integra-tion

Participa-tion

History / Histories

Identities

Culture / Cultures

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Added value of Foresight

6 Research priorities of great interest to Luxembourg• Existing synergies between priorities and various sub-domains

• Topics of great future scientific interest

• Based on the existing competences and new boundaries

Results generated by participative process• Many different actors of R&D environment

• Research priorities of particular interest for Luxembourg

• Important part of the process: wiring-up of the actors!

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Innovation in ServicesBusiness Service Design and Innovation

Performance and Development of the Financial Systems

Fostering the Economic and Legal Environment for

Innovation

Information Security and Trust Management

Telecommunications and Multimedia

Sustainable Resource Management in Luxembourg

Understanding Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Sustainable Management of Water Resources

Sustainable Uses and Sources of Energy

Sustainable Agro-Systems Management

Spatial and Urban Development

Identities, Diversity and Integration

Labour Market, Educational Requirements and Social Protection

New Functional and Intelligent Materials and Surfaces, and new Sensing Applications

New Functional and Intelligent Materials and Surfaces

New sensing applications

Age-related Biomedical ResearchAge-related Diseases

Translational Biomedical Research

Public Health, including aspects of Environmental HealthBased on a communication from www.gouvernement.lu