Objective

The OBSERVE project is funded under the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) programme of the European Commission. The overarching aim of OBSERVE is to support Europe to grasp leadership early on in new and emerging technology areas that promise to renew the basis for European competitiveness and growth and that will make a difference for society in the decades to come. For this purpose OBSERVE addresses the concrete objective of identifying new opportunities and directions for interdisciplinary research towards new and visionary technology of any kind.

To achieve these objectives OBSERVE will: 

• Implement a bottom-up horizon scanning process (WP1) using four different and complementary screening methods that will yield a set of emerging topics of different types presented in a structured one-page template.
• Set up a multi-stakeholder dialogue for interpreting and sense-making (WP2) thereby condensing the emerging topics into a list of candidates for “Hotspots” that combine emerging needs, practices, ideas and technologies.
• Subject the Hotspot-Candidates to a multi-criteria assessment (WP3) within an online expert dialogue to evaluate their potential for the FET programme. OBSERVE will carefully capture the lessons learned in terms of methodology as a basis for establish a rolling process that can be established by the FET group beyond the projects duration.
• Ensure a maximum uptake of both the radar itself and the observatory methodology to strengthen futures literacy, responsiveness and resilience for diverse actors across Europe through a tailored dissemination (WP4) program.

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