Horizon scanning workshop: insights into exploring future signals
On 13 June 2025, EFI and the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) co-organised the workshop “Horizon Scanning for Bioeconomy: Exploring Future Signals” during the European Bioeconomy Scientific Forum 2025 (EBSF2025) in Joensuu, Finland.
The workshop brought together students, researchers and local stakeholders to introduce them to the horizon scanning methodology, what signals are and why they matter. Here's what happened:
Aha! What a signal
Horizon scanning is a method for systematically detecting and assessing signals, early warnings, and signs of change, such as ideas, events, and phenomena that may impact society, the environment, and policy.
These signals are data for monitoring ongoing changes and serve as material to imagine possible futures, including the drivers of radical change. Therefore, in the workshop, participants focus on seeking "aha moments" with a sample of signals distributed for the groups to work on.
Lessons learned
Here are three lessons learned from the workshop:
- Surprise is a crucial element for a sign of change: while trend is a phenomenon known to many, signal is debatable for its possible implications and outlook.
- Signals are interpreted in a context: for detecting and assessing signals, you need practice, but most importantly, interaction with people from different backgrounds.
- Surprise is good if you know how to wait for it.
For transformative changes through innovations, like the ones discussed during the EBSF 2025, one needs "mental flexibility to think of the unthinkable, including the challenges that our visions of a preferred future can lead to, and the opportunities that the worst-case scenarios open", said Päivi Pelli, Researcher at EFI and one of the organisers of the workshop.
If you are interested to learn more about the workshop or the collaboration between EFI and UEF on horizon scanning, please contact paivi.pelli @ efi.int or explore horizon scanning by reading these three blog articles:
- What is horizon scanning and its role in the bioeconomy?
- What does horizon scanning do for the bioeconomy?
- Why do we need more than one horizon for the bioeconomy?
Featured photo: Päivi Pelli
