The Symposium for Foresight and Technology Planning (SVT), organised by our “Advanced Systems Engineering” workgroup, will take place in Berlin from 7-8 October 2026.
For the 20th time, the SVT will bring together experts in the field of strategic product and technology planning from research and industry. The theme of this year's SVT is "Strategic Foresight in Times of Radical Uncertainty".
The Symposium for Foresight and Technology Planning is an event organised by acatech - National Academy of Science and Engineering, the Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research and the Heinz Nixdorf Institute, and focuses on the key competence area of product and technology planning. The aim is to recognise the potential for future success at an early stage and exploit it in good time. Direct customer feedback is often not enough to understand the needs of the future. Companies must therefore anticipate developments in markets, technologies and other relevant fields in order to develop successful strategies. Systematic foresight makes it possible to identify opportunities at the interface of future market requirements and technological possibilities, but also to recognise potential threats to existing business models. This forms the basis for research and development projects as well as investment decisions.
The aim of the symposium is to create a forum for experts involved in strategic product and technology planning. Regular events are intended to promote dialogue in this field by allowing experts to present and discuss their work and exchange experiences. The participants should address both developers and users of methods. The event is aimed at decision-makers in companies who are involved in shaping the future of their business, as well as experts from relevant research institutes.
Participants have until 8 April 2026 to submit abstracts of their papers for the symposium. All submissions to the Research Track will be peer-reviewed and published in the digital conference proceedings. The SVT is looking forward to papers on the following topics:
- Methods and tools of strategic foresight
- Digital transformation and networked value creation systems
- Human-technology interaction and working environments of the future
- Sustainable industry and the future of energy
- Approaches and tools for security and resilience planning
- Exceptional approaches to foresight and technology planning
More information about the symposium and the submission of papers can be found here.
