Thursday 20 June 2019, at the Scottish Parliament Since 2010, Nordic Horizons has brought six Nordic experts a year to Scotland to share their experience and expertise from some of the world’s most successful countries. It has covered issues as varied as Finnish Prisons Policy, Norwegian Outdoor Kindergarten, the Icelandic Crowd-sourced Constitution, Swedish Voting Systems…
Tuesday 11 June 2019, at the Scottish Parliament This seminar, chaired by Sir Andrew Cubie, was the second in a series of debates focusing on leadership in education, particularly leadership of change. It featured a presentation from Neil McLennan, Director of Leadership programmes at the University of Aberdeen, a small-group workshop session and reflections from…
On Wednesday 5 June 2019, former Fed Cup Captain Judy Murray spoke at the Scottish Parliament as part of the seminar series with Leaders in Sport and Physical Activity hosted by the Futures Forum and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). Judy reflected on her experience of coaching in tennis in Scotland, the lessons she’s…
On Wednesday 29 May 2019, the founder and chief executive of Street Soccer, David Duke, spoke at the Scottish Parliament about his journey through sport and the lessons he has learned along the way. Organised by the Futures Forum and the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe), this seminar was part of a series reflecting on…
Seminar in May 2019 on how the Scottish Parliament can best engage with citizens in a digital age. Features podcast and presentations.
A reflection by Susie Maguire on the potential effect of a citizen’s income. Written in 2019, “In An Enlightened Future” charts the dream of someone living in a world with a citizen’s income.
Scotland’s sparsely-populated areas are predicted to lose a quarter of their population by 2046, with the working age population likely to shrink by 33%. At the same time, the challenge of enabling the development that is needed to sustain rural communities is delicately balanced with the environmental imperatives of conserving our environment and protecting its…
On Wednesday 8 May 2019, the Head Coach of the Scotland Women’s National Team, Shelley Kerr, spoke at the Parliament in a seminar chaired by the Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh MSP. Podcast Listen to a podcast of Shelley’s presentation here: Shelley spoke about how she had to battle to play football as a girl growing…
Seminar in April 2019 with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) looking at science, policy and solutions on a global scale. Features a podcast.
Panel discussion at the Scottish Parliament in 2019 on a citizen’s income or universal basic income. How attractive – and affordable – is it as a policy?
Short report of event from March 2019 with Helen Lewis on the Future of Feminism with Monica Lennon MSP.
Jennifer Wallace, Carnegie UK Trust, @Jen_CarnegieUK Earlier this month I attended a Scotland’s Futures Forum seminar on a wellbeing economy at the Scottish Parliament. The event, a collaboration between the Futures Forum, the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee and the newly formed Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), heard from a range of thinkers and doers…
Report of a seminar in February 2019 with the Wellbeing Economy Alliance on Scotland as a wellbeing economy.
How can housing meet the needs of older people in the future? This seminar in January 2019 explored the future for housing with an ageing population. Features podcast of presentation.
In 2019, the Futures Forum and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) hosted a series of seminars hearing from leaders in sport and physical activity. Each was asked to share the lessons they’ve learned in their journey through sport, along with their thoughts about the future. The seminars were for MSPs, MSP staff and Parliament…
Scotland’s Futures Forum is delighted to announce our Spring 2019 Programme of Events. As part of our Scotland 2030 Programme, we’ll be hosting discussions looking at the future for housing with an ageing population, and the future for further and higher education in 2030 and beyond. We’ll also consider the question of whether a citizen’s…
This seminar in December 2018 brought together experts from Denmark and Norway to share good practice on drugs policy.
16 November 2018, at the Scottish Parliament In conjunction with the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee, the Futures Forum brought together a diverse range of people to consider the future for social care for older people in Scotland. The seminar was chaired by the convener of the Health and Sport Committee, Lewis Macdonald MSP….
Future Schooling, Education and Learning: Goodison Group in Scotland Forum Debate Tuesday 13 November 2018, at the Scottish Parliament The Goodison Group in Scotland and the Futures Forum continued their exploration of schooling and learning in the future, with a focus on secondary education in 2030. Read the event report here: Future Education: Secondary Schools…
Tuesday 6 November 2018, at the Scottish Parliament The Futures Forum concluded its investigation into life in the future with a discussion on death and dying in 2030 and beyond. Chaired by the Parliament’s Presiding Officer, Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP, this session considered our approach to death and dying in Scotland, now and in the…
Half day conference in November 2018 with the Finance and Constitution Committee on governance in the UK after Brexit. Features event report.
Wednesday 3 October 2018, at the Scottish Parliament The Futures Forum continued its investigation into life in the future with a discussion on growing older in 2030 and beyond. Chaired by Ross Greer MSP, this session focused on the role of older people in our society and the aspirations we have for our later years….
Artworks commissioned in 2018 by the Futures Forum from Fiona J MacLellan as part of a paid internship. The pieces represented the growing body of work in our Scotland 2030 Programme.
This seminar in September 2018 featured a presentation by Greg Berman, Director of the Center for Court Innovation in New York, on its approach to smart justice.
Hello and welcome to the Futures Forum’s bulletin for autumn 2018! With the Scottish Parliament having returned from the summer recess, we look back on a busy summer for us and forward to an exciting autumn of events in our Scotland 2030 Programme. Autumn Programme of Events Read more about Scotland 2030: Growing Older, Wednesday 3…
This seminar in September 2018 used Nourish Scotland’s vision of a sustainable food system in 2030 to prompt a discussion on food in Scotland. Features video of presentations and report.
Are autonomous vehicles the future? How well developed are they already, what is likely to happen next, and how can Scotland exploit the opportunities they present? Scotland’s Futures Forum was delighted to work with Ivan McKee MSP and various partners including Jacobs to explore the potential presented by the development of autonomous vehicles and the…
On 4 July 2018, the Futures Forum held a seminar on the opportunities for Glasgow from the development of autonomous vehicles. Hosted by Glasgow City Council and produced in conjunction with Jacobs and Glasgow Chambers of Commerce, the event was chaired by Councillor Jen Layden and featured a keynote introduction from Ivan McKee MSP, Minister for…
On 21 June 2018, Scotland’s Futures Forum hosted a seminar on the opportunities and challenges presented by the development of autonomous vehicles. A panel discussion chaired by Gail Ross MSP, Deputy Convener of the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee, saw contributions from four industry experts: Sarah McCartney and Kate Carpenter from Jacobs Ltd Iain Forbes,…
Future Schooling, Education and Learning: Goodison Group in Scotland Forum Debate On Tuesday 19 June 2018, the Goodison Group in Scotland and the Futures Forum continued their exploration of schooling and learning in the future, with a focus on primary education in 2030. Dylan and Alexander from the Children’s Parliament outlining the vision of a…
On Friday 15 June 2018, the Futures Forum, the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Constitution Committee and the Royal Society of Edinburgh brought together a group of experts from throughout Scotland to consider the long-term sustainability of Scotland’s public finances. Read A Sustainable Future for Scotland’s Public Finances Event Report The seminar took place on the…
Tuesday 5 June 2018 at the Scottish Parliament The Futures Forum’s investigation into Scotland’s culture and society in the future continued with a discussion of our working lives in 2030. Read Scotland 2030 – Work in a Gender Equal Country Event Report Participants heard a presentation from Jo Salter, a director at PwC (and the…
In partnership with the University of Aberdeen, on 25 May 2018, the Futures Forum held an event on the aspirations for our future in Aberdeen and the North East. Using the Our Future Scotland video as a prompt, an expert panel provided their perspective on the opportunities for the North East in particular and Scotland in…
“Our Future Scotland” challenges everyone – from the First Minister and other party leaders, to leading business and technology figures, and award-winning authors and artists – to share their aspirations for the kind of country they want Scotland to be in the future. The film was screened at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 16 May…
Find out what we’ve been up to – and what’s coming next!
Seminar in May 2018 on drugs policy in Scotland now and in the future. With NHS Health Scotland, Scottish Drugs Forum and Step Together.
Scotland’s Futures Forum is delighted to announce our Summer Programme of Events. In the Scottish Parliament, we’ll be hosting a panel discussion including author Christopher Brookmyre and robotics expert Professor Sethu Vijayakumar on our aspirations for 2030 and #OurFutureScotland, along with a challenge on the future world of work: what would Scotland in 2030 look…
NEWS: Following a request from a cross-party group of MSPs, the Futures Forum will consider the landscape for drug use in Scotland.
Future Schooling, Education and Learning: Goodison Group in Scotland Forum Debate On 14 March 2018, the Goodison Group in association with Scotland’s Futures Form held the first debate of the year as part of its future schooling, education and learning project. The debate focused on early years education, with presentations from Juliet Hancock, Director of…
In 2018, Scotland’s Futures Forum’s Scotland 2030 Programme is looking at different stages of life in future Scotland. The first event in the series considered what growing up in Scotland in 2030 could and should be like. Read the full event report here: “Life in Future Scotland: Growing Up” Event Report The Futures Forum heard from…
Reception in January 2018 to showcase Heriot-Watt University’s academic research behind Social Bite’s ambitious plan to tackle homelessness.
Scotland 2030: Goodison Group in Scotland Forum Debate The Goodison Group in Scotland continued its on-going investigation into education and learning in the future with a debate in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 14 November 2017. Bringing together representatives from education, academia and business, GGiS considered how Scotland will change by 2030 and what that…
On Friday 10 November, in conjunction with the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Futures Forum held a Scotland 2030 Programme discussion on technology and society in Inverness. Chaired by the Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh MSP, the panel for this event comprised Dr Chris Van Der Kuyl FRSE, owner of 4G, the Minecraft game developers; Futures…
Seminar in October 2017 exploring policy responses to obesity and their potential effect on people’s health and lives.
On 27 October 2017, the Futures Forum held a joint consultation event with the Scottish Youth Parliament on the question of technology. Chaired by Maree Todd MSP as a Futures Forum director, the debate covered young people’s hopes and fears about the role of technology in their lives, and their thoughts about how to make…
Ten years after the Futures Forum report on reducing harm from drugs in Scotland, this 2017 Festival of Politics explored how much has changed.
Having explored the challenges provided by the technological revolution and climate change in its first two events in 2017, the Futures Forum heard from Dr Jamie Coleman, chair and co-founder of Codebase, and Dr Katherine Trebeck, senior researcher at Oxfam, on how we could and should make our living in 2030, as individuals and as…
The French philosopher Voltaire is quoted as saying in the 1760s that “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation”. What did that mean then, and what might it mean today and in the future? What makes up a civilised nation and is Scotland one? And, looking forward, what words or descriptions might we…
What does the future hold for young people? What do they think will happen? This video from 2017 explores what inventions we might see by 2030.
This informal reception introduced guests to the main concepts behind Fit Home, a unique partnership between housing, NHS Highland and social enterprise, which, supported by academic research, showcases a collaborative solution to wellness in the digital age. Developed through co-design with partners, potential tenants and health and care professionals, this ground-breaking approach combines modular home…
Scotland 2030: Goodison Group in Scotland Forum Debate On 5 September 2017, the Goodison Group in Scotland and the Futures Forum continued their on-going investigation into education and learning in the future with a debate in the Scottish Parliament on how the economy might influence, enhance or disrupt schooling, education and learning in 2030 and beyond….
By Dr Steph Smith, Scotland’s Rural College and @ScienceSeaweed Humans are curious creatures. Not in the sense that we are random assemblages of cells which share about 50% of our DNA with a banana; but curious in our desire to learn. The Scottish’s Parliament’s own future ‘think tank’, Scotland’s Futures Forum, and the Scottish Environment, Food…
A healthy society and culture depends on a healthy environment. This project explores how Scotland’s environment might change over the coming years and how our relationship with it will and should change at the same time. It also asks what our societal and cultural relationship with our surroundings should be in 2030 to ensure a…
This reception marked the 10th anniversary of the Comparative Agendas Project, a worldwide network of political and data scientists working to investigate trends in government, parliamentary and legal activity over time.
Scotland 2030: Goodison Group in Scotland Forum Debate Read the Education in 2030 – Our Aspirations Event Report The Goodison Group in Scotland continued its on-going investigation into education and learning in the future with a debate in the Scottish Parliament on 13 June 2017. Building on the thoughts and aspirations identified at the debate…
By Eleanore Widger, University of Dundee and @Nell Widger Earlier this year the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) and Mountaineering Scotland made an unlikely alliance in opposition to government plans to plant thousands of new trees. According to the Guardian, the Scottish Government intends to increase woodland cover from 17% to 25% by 2050 as part of its Draft…
As part of the Scotland 2030 Programme, and on the basis that a strong society and economy can exist in the long term only if the environment – land, air and water – are functioning well, the Futures Forum supported an investigation into what Scotland’s environment might look like in 2030. Asking the question “How…
By Nicola Martin, @NicolaMartin14 “We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.” This summary of a quotation from French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire is commonly used by commentators who wish to present Scotland as a beacon of civilisation and enlightenment in both the past and the present. [1] However, such a phrase and interpretation…
By Eleanore Widger, University of Dundee and @NellWidger A curious thing happened in Scotland during the Romantic period: vast numbers of tourists from Britain, Europe and elsewhere used new road networks and steam packet routes to access the landscapes they valued as wild and remote. According to John and Margaret Gold, those tourists had two main objectives when…