Technology and Innovation Futures: UK Growth Opportunities for the 2020s
The original 2010 Technology and Innovation Futures (PDF, 824 Kb) was a forward look at a range of developments which had the potential over the next 20 years to support sustained economic growth in the UK. As the UK comes out of the economic downturn, it seems likely that future economic prosperity will derive in large part from seizing opportunities offered by technologies such as these.
With the considerable pace of change in both technological and political worlds we felt it neccessary to look back at the original report to see how relevant our recommendations still are. Most of the technologies included in the original report are just as relevant and important today. We're pleased to provide an updated version of the report (PDF, 948 Kb) with a 2012 perspective on the technological outlook for the UK.
For the 2012 refresh, structured interviews were conducted with 15 leading academics and 26 industry experts. They were asked what changes had taken place since 2010 and what might take place over the next 10 years.
Those same questions were also asked of the original 180 contributors on the original 2010 report to provide a detailed look at the technological landscape facing Britain today.
Technologies such as smart fabrics, 3D printing and smart energy grids emerged as technologies to look out for in the coming years.
The refreshed report identifies over 50 new and developing technologies that could generate billions for the economy in future.
The technology annex (PDF, 585 Kb) summarises each of the future technologies and innovations included in the original report and provides comparable information on the size of the potential market in 2025, the disruptive potential of the technology, UK capability, and barriers and enablers.
