A case of comparative analysis on methods and outcomes of national foresight processes

Abstract

Most of the governments that fund R&D activities to foster the national innovation capability use specific methods/processes for supporting the different phases which precede and follow these activities: foresight, prioritisation, impact assessment and knowledge transfer. In the past decades, foresight has become one of the most popular and used amongst them. The latest theories conceptualise foresight as one element in a continuous policy-learning process where impact on policy has become more subtle and complex. From this point of view foresight should be considered as a systemic innovation policy instrument fostering innovation capability. This paper tries to find out if there are some evidences of these theories, discussing a case of comparative analysis on methods and outcomes of National Foresight Processes with reference to the sector of metrology that, being transversal and very knowledge-based, could be strongly effective in improving the performance of many other sectors and, in a broader view, the national innovation capability.