What will the quality infrastructure of the future look like?
Trend study QI 2035

As part of a trend study, scientifically sound visions of the future of a digitalised quality infrastructure (QI) are to be developed together with stakeholders from business, QI and politics. The focus is on the opportunities and challenges of digitalisation for the German economy and science, but also for society as a whole as a user and creator of QI.

Scenarios make it possible to experience the future today and enable their users to act in a future-oriented manner. The scenario method enables a structured examination of conceivable alternative development paths. This raises awareness of the fact that complex issues do not allow a simple distinction to be made between a best case and a worst case.

Procedure

In scenario workshops with representatives from companies and research, but also from civil society, influencing factors are first identified, prioritised and alternative characteristics for a time horizon up to 2035 are discussed and described in outline form. These formed the basis for the subsequent scenarios. It is important to note that scenarios are never forecasts; they shed light on different possibilities. They promote an understanding of what may lie ahead. On this basis, options for action can be discussed in very concrete terms.

As part of the study, 3-5 future scenarios are developed that do not represent a simple extrapolation of current developments, but rather take into account and highlight alternative influences of digitalisation and their interactions with the quality infrastructure. Digitalisation should never be viewed in isolation, but rather in interaction with other influencing factors that will also change and develop considerably in the coming years.

The aim is to illustrate the complexity of the topic in its most important facets and to focus on those aspects that are particularly relevant in the context of digitalisation.

Scenario online workshop QI 2035

The aim of the workshop is to validate the existing raw scenarios and adapt them if necessary. This relates both to individual assumptions within a scenario and to the fit (consistency) of the scenarios as a whole. In this approach, the consistency of the scenarios is assessed from a future perspective. It is not a question of assessing the probability of occurrence. Nor is the scenario an exact prediction of the future, but rather an examination of possible futures. One result of the workshop is plausible and internally consistent scenarios that cover as many of the elaborated future assumptions as possible and thus show the range of possibilities. Finally, the first part is used to derive strategic implications by identifying the opportunities and risks of the scenarios.

Content of the online workshop on 07.05.2024, 09.00-12.00 hrs

- Brief introduction to the scenario method

- Brief presentation of the research process to date

- Presentation of the interim results (raw scenarios)

- Validation and adaptation of the existing raw scenarios

- Initial derivation of opportunities and risks for QI stakeholders

The study should be completed in autumn 2024

The project is being commissioned and supported by the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing.
Please send any enquiries to Dr Claudia Koch via info[at]qi-digital.de