The UK technology foresight programme

Technology foresight at a national level has emerged as a prominent instrument of technology policy during the first half of the 1990s, Programmes of this type are not generally seeking to identify future scientific breakthroughs (the so-called 'picking winners' approach). Rather, they are concerned to put in place the infrastructure necessary to recognize and exploit such opportunities when they do emerge. Given the lead times necessary for technological development this necessitates forming views about the future, In this article, the experience to date of one of the most comprehensive national initiatives, the UK Technology Foresight Programme is examined. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd