Innovate UK went public this year with a search for its list of the top 50 emerging technologies that could shape our future. says the object Simone Bockelaaris to encourage the industry to look forward.
Every two years since its inception, Innovate UK has surveyed its various scientific communities – those people with the latest cutting-edge science and technology across a wide range of sectors – to ask them which new technologies interest them.
We also consult with our internal community, and conduct a “survey survey” style meta-analysis of any new reports looking at future technology. We do this so we can understand where to most effectively direct our time and energy, and share this knowledge with government. This time, we decided to make our research public.
Innovating the UK's 50 emerging technologies report [1] It is a sector-neutral look at the technologies most likely to shape our future, based on Innovate UK's own metrics to decide where to invest our time and money. They include the technology behind a real-life invisibility cloak, a flight from London to Sydney in three hours, manufacturing in zero-gravity space, and worm-like robots for disaster recovery.
Because the report is sector-specific, it also allows companies and investors to explore types of technology they would not normally be exposed to in their usual industry.
By issuing this first-of-its-kind report, we hope to inspire companies and investors to think bigger than usual. Most organizations lack the time and resources to plan five years into the future, and for many the strategic outlook is much shorter. This report gives you the opportunity to pause briefly and reflect on the opportunities available 10 or even 20 years in the future.
Because the report does not differentiate between a particular sector, it also allows companies and investors to explore types of technology that they would not normally be exposed to in their usual field, and even speculate on possible convergences; Where two or more seemingly disparate technologies come together in new and interesting ways.
But most importantly, the report does not aim to define a specific future. We encourage discussion and participation, and disagreement is as beneficial to us as agreement.
We'll hold a glimpse into the future [2] A series of events for strategy leaders at SMEs across the country, as well as a deep dive into technology to host this kind of discussion and turn the report into a productive and inspiring dialogue. Please join us!
Simon Bockelaar is Head of Horizon Scanning at Innovate UK
References:
1 ukri.org/news/revealed-the-50-newtechnologies-thatcould-shape-thefuture/
2 iuk.ktnuk.org/events/glimpse-of-the-futurenetworking-events/
