Technology

The future of ocean observation will not be driven by a single solution, but by convergence - technological and human. It will rely on integrating diverse sensors, autonomous platforms, and AI-enabled analytics.

Looking back at one year since we launched the design for policy community.

What if policymakers could step into each other’s shoes, experiment with real-world scenarios and test collaborative strategies before making decisions? Find out how a serious game can help!

How will today’s democratic shifts shape the Europe of tomorrow? What new paths might develop in the EU's democratic landscape and how can these imagined futures equip policymakers to act more decisively today?

How can the EU stay competitive, while also safeguarding strategic autonomy?  

Future-oriented policymaking is not about "predicting” what comes next, but an approach that equips institutions to look beyond immediate pressures, actively explore alternative futures, and develop policies that are robust, inclusive, and adaptable.

European education is currently standing at a (digital) crossroads, where the promise, as well as their pitfalls are real.

The Signal Cards come out of the ESPAS Horizon Scanning activity, in which we present and analyse emerging trends, technologies or generally signs of new which we identified through the horizon scanning process.

Neurotechnology is a rapidly emerging field. Our mission started as an exploration of neurotechnology and identifying questions it might raise for policymakers.

Chasing unpaid taxes weighs on administrations as it is time- and resource-intensive.

Foresight, it seems to be on everyone’s lips these days. But what is it exactly? And more importantly, how can policymakers use it in their daily work? This is why we designed a "menu" to help guide you through the options.

How can the EU safeguard fairness and fundamental rights when AI is used for decision making?

Some exciting news from our project to harmonise waste sorting labels across the EU! 
Over the last few months the EU Policy Lab, together with consortium leader Open Evidence and the behavioural design agency Krukow, have developed a prototype for harmonised waste sorting labels.

What would you do if your employment contract required you to wear a device that measured your attention levels, compared your remote working attention with that in the office and made suggestions about when you should take breaks?

Futures Garden is an experimental project of the Joint Research Centre’s EU Policy Lab to generate new policy ideas with citizens and policymakers to help shape a better future for Europe. We are now proud to announce the public launch of two innovative ‘artefacts from the future’.

In the 100,000 years since we have existed as a species, it took us 90,000 years to develop agriculture, 10,000 years to industrialise, 200 years to develop nuclear power, 50 years to develop computers – and the pace of human innovation continues to increase at unprecedented speed.

Are humans using artificial intelligence better at making unbiased choices? Is it enough to have humans oversee AI decisions to ensure fair and balanced decisions are being made? If yes, how? What does it take for systems to be trustworthy and fair?

The EU Policy Lab is paying close attention at misinformation – especially from a behavioural point of view.

In an era marked by increasing interaction between human beings and AI, a question arises - what if we could not only connect to AI but also to other non-human forms of intelligence like plants, insects and animals? What would they teach us?

How can futures thinking boost Europe’s innovation in deep tech? This is the question at the heart of the yearlong collaboration between the Joint Research Centre’s EU Policy Lab and the European Innovation Council, which has now reached its conclusion.

How can EU policymakers ensure that their efforts today are futureproof and adapted to the constantly changing realities of our world?

Technologies are not the future. However, the future is shaped by our capacity to anticipate them.