Table 4 The UK’s AG level under the new framework

Foresight system

- Foresight projects by the government’s Foresight Programme

- Horizon Scanning Programme Team to feed the evidence-based policies

[But] The heavy reliance on robust evidence and well-designed jeopardizes transformation of horizon scanning to a future-oriented process that allows to identify “unknown unknown”.

Networked system

- Horizon Scanning Programme Team as a central coordinating body

[But] The UK horizon scanning is fairly fragmented, and strong department silos have a scanning not systemic and make difficult departments to integrate.

- Policy debate, roundtable discussion, workshop with different stakeholders

- Many communities of interest including the Horizon Scanning Private Sector Network

[But] The above silos make difficult to include outside information and external expertise.

Feedback system

- Evaluation of the reports and policies through extranet, peer review, discussion groups

- Workshops devoted to test departments’ strategies on resilience with the scanned output

[But] The projects only lasted for around 2 years with further 1-year follow-up despite it was four or five to be underway.

Continuity system

- Many repetitive foresight and horizon scanning projects since the establishment of UK Foresight Programme in 1994

[But] It disappeared with little trace since 2012.

- Foresight academic institutions: Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, the University of Sheffield’s Regional Technology Foresight, Oxford Martin School