Trends Identified

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to the undifferentiated state of an embryonic stem cell. The unlimited differentiation potential and use of the patient’s own cells facilitate the application of the technology for medical purposes.

2009

KISTEP 10 Emerging Technologies 2009

South Korea, Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)

Individualism and entrepreneurship

Independence is becoming the dominant motivator for a large section of the population, particularly for millennials (born from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s) and Gen-Zers (born in the mid- to late 1990s and after). These younger people tend to get bored doing the same kind of work for long stretches, and they are especially interested in independent careers. Empowered by digital platforms and ecosystems, many are choosing entrepreneurship and self-employment over traditional corporate employment. By 2020, freelancers will constitute 50% of the workforce

2017

Twelve Forces That Will Radically Change How Organizations Work

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Individual Empowerment: More Unintended Consequences

The global middle class worries about falling back into poverty. Democratization lags and there is a loss of Western confidence in democracy. Citizenship becomes supplanted by self/group identity, spurred by the Internet.

2016

Global risks 2035- the search for a new normal

Atlantic Council

Individual empowerment

Over the next 15 to 20 years, continued giving from groups like the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will lift millions of people out of poverty, the report found, to the extent that the majority of the world's population will no longer be impoverished. This new wealth will produce millions more empowered individuals that will have the means to add to local and national economies. The report hedged slightly, however, because more empowered people will also have greater access to lethal weapons and networks, which is "a capability formerly the monopoly of states."

2017

4 mega-trends that could change the world by 2030

World Economic Forum (WEF)

India's take-off?

At US$2 trillion in value, India’s economy is one of the world’s great engines of growth. It stands poised to reap a demographic dividend: around half of India’s 1.2 billion people are under the age of 26, and by 2020, India is forecast to be the youngest country in the world. Crucially, PM Narendra Modi has embarked on structural reforms (such as demonetisation, goods and services tax reform) that could lay the foundation for long-term growth. India’s future may yet arrive

2017

Foresigth

Singapore, The Centre for Strategic Futures

Increasingly severe consequences of climate change

In the past 150 years, the atmosphere and the oceans have warmed, snow and ice cover has decreased, sea levels have risen and many extreme weather and climate events have become more frequent. This warming of the global climate is unprecedented over millennia.

2015

Assessment of global megatrends - an update

European Environment Agency (EEA)

Increasingly global markets for labor and talent

2016

Geostrategic risks on the rise

McKinsey

Increasingly connected human networks.

Human networks are expected to continue to be increasingly decentralized thereby allowing unforeseeable threats

2017

Strategic foresight analysis

NATO

Increasing water stress

Due to a combination of problems, including rapid population growth, constrained water supplies and high levels of poverty, countries such as India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria will be hit the hardest by this trend. Resource-constrained water stress will be the norm for many countries in Asia, while finance- constrained water stress will be the norm for many countries in Africa.
This is reflected in the fact that experts surveyed by the World Economic Forum expect Sub-Saharan Africa to be the most affected region, closely followed by Asia.

2014

Outlook on the global agenda 2015

World Economic Forum (WEF)

Increasing urbanization.

Urbanization is increasing at different rates globally, with the highest growth rates in the least developed parts of the world thus creating the challenge of providing adequate basic services and a functioning infrastructure to ensure a minimum quality of life for citizens.

2017

Strategic foresight analysis

NATO