What if we stopped asking what the future will be, and instead explored the different futures that could emerge, and how we can shape them?
At OLLD26, we are honoured to welcome Epaminondas Christophilopoulos, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Futures Research, as our keynote speaker. His keynote will set the scene for this year’s conference theme: “Living Labs: Impacts and Values for a Changing World.”
A leading voice in futures research and strategic foresight, Epaminondas will explore how foresight can help us navigate uncertainty, identify emerging signals and drivers of change, challenge assumptions, and explore alternative futures. Rather than forecasting a single outcome, foresight opens up possibilities and helps us make more informed choices in the present.
The keynote will also invite us to reflect on the values shaping our societies, and how these may evolve as our world changes. For Living Labs, this raises an important question: how can we use our understanding of possible futures to shape the impacts and values we want to see in the world ahead?
A thought-provoking opening to OLLD26, setting the scene for conversations about change, impact, values, and the futures we can collectively shape.
By Martina Desole – Director