Winter Program: Futures Literacy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The future is not something that just happens to us or that we cannot influence. Our ideas about the future have a profound influence on our daily actions. If we are pessimistic or anxious about the future, we limit our perceived self-efficacy to the point of freezing or remaining completely stuck in the status quo. According to studies, we think about the future more than 50% of the day. The ability to ponder the future is one of our greatest strengths as humans, even though we often use it unconsciously or in a way that doesn't help us. How can we use this ability in a more purposeful way?

The Futures Literacy for Innovation winter school will address this question at its core. It is an intensive two-week online course designed to equip students with essential competences in foresight, strategic innovation, and futures thinking. This program provides a deep dive into futures literacy as a meta-competence, fostering critical reflection, systems thinking, and sustainable innovation strategies. These skill sets play a crucial role in driving meaningful, impactful, and sustainable innovation.

Through a combination of synchronous sessions and flexible asynchronous learning, participants will hone their anticipatory skills and innovative work behavior to navigate uncertainty and adapt to emerging and complex challenges. Furthermore, students will gain hands-on experience in how to work with the future by exploring and applying key methodologies from the field of futures studies, such as the futures literacy lab concept or the futures wheel method.