Science Foresight to Advance European Research: A report by the ESF Member Organisation Forum on Science Foresight for Joint Strategy Development

It is time for Europe to reinvigorate its long tradition of discovery and innovation. Indeed, in the context of the global financial crisis, the race for a global knowledge economy and the ensuing data deluge, research and innovation has become a vital and strategic cornerstone for the future of Europe. This necessary investment in science and research requires clear strategies for funding research, recruitment of researchers and the provision of research infrastructure. Pan-European science strategies for large-scale and long-term investments should be developed based on a clear process for selecting the most strategic and relevant scientific domains involving all stakeholders, i.e., researchers from both the private and public sectors, policy makers, governments, research funding organisations and research performing organisations. The process needs to build systematically upon the past in order to understand the future, to anticipate what might happen and to agree on how to promote research of the highest quality and knowledge expectation in the best interests of society. This is the core of Science Foresight.