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ASF Community Directory
Leading strategic futures groups
This page lists a broad range of important groups engaging in strategic
futures dialogs. Some are acceleration-aware,
others have not yet broadly or carefully considered the implications
of accelerating scientific and technological change on political,
business, social, and personal futures in their domains of interest.
In our own small way, we can all help them do so. As a futurist,
many of these groups should be on your radar. As a change leader,
several of these deserve your individual support. This list is mostly
North American, at present. Others to recommend? Let
us know.
Futures
Organizations
Top
Futures Organizations
Institutions,
Consultancies, Websites — Many are Acceleration-Aware
| Acceleration
Studies Foundation
Improving the way we look at the future with outreach, education,
research, and selective advocacy.
ACUNU Millennium Project for
Global Futures Studies and Research
Global research think tank of futurists, scholars, business
planners, and policy makers (Jerry Glenn, Ted Gordon).
Adizes Institute
Leading change management/organizational development consultancy
(Ichak Adizes).
African
Futures Institute
Pan-African foresight (prospective studies) and development
thinking (Cape Town, South Africa)
AIR
Worldwide (AIR)
Innovators in natural catastrophe and terrorism risk modeling
(Karen Clark).
Arlington
Institute
Surfacing and preparing for surprise in the technological
future (John Peterson).
Association for Strategic
Planning
Helping organizations to succeed through improved strategic
thinking, planning, and action.
Association
of Professional Futurists
Improving methodology and practice in the nascent future studies
field (Randy Scheel, Andy Hines)
Battelle
Technology development and assessment for industry and government.
Belfer Center
for Science and International Affairs (JFK Sch of Govt,
Harvard U)
Long term futures work on International security, climate
change, nuclear issues, Middle East issues.
Bell
Labs
Historical leader in blue sky U.S. R&D. Lucent's innovation
group.
Booz Allen Hamilton
A global strategy and consulting firm, strong on forecasting
and analysis.
Boston Consulting Group
One of the oldest and most diverse business consulting firms.
Nice publications archive.
Breaking
Trends (UK)
Global trends intelligence from 'alpha' cities and leading
innovators (Alec Howe).
Brint Institute
Leading knowledge management portal applying systems research
to business (Yogesh Malhatra).
BTexact, (and Ian
Pearson, Futurologist)
Acceleration-aware futures articles and conference keynotes
(Ian Pearson).
Center for an Urban Future
NYC-based think-tank considering the future of cities.
Center for Critical
Foresight at Stanford University
Improving long-range planning and decisionmaking through research
and education, scenario development, and curricula in futures
studies.
Center for the Study
of Science Fiction (CSSF)
Resources for teaching and navigating the fascinating, future-oriented
world of science fiction (James Gunn). See also Science
Fiction Research Assn (SFRA), oldest professional org.
for study of sci-fi and fantasy lit. and film.
Center for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS)
Nonpartisan think tank of semi-indedependent analysts, all
focusing on strategic insights and policy solutions to current
and emerging global issues (John Hamre, Sam Nunn). See for
example their Seven Revolutions
20 year futuring program (Erik Peterson).
Clarium Capital Management
Exceptional future-oriented global macro hedge fund with a
contrarian bias. (Peter Thiel)
Conferenza
News and commentary on technology's most important executive
conferences (Shel Israel)
Community
Futures Network (Canada)
A network of 268 community economic development and visioning
centers. Great example of government foresight and participatory
democracy.
Copenhagen Institute for
Futures Studies (Denmark)
Strengthening decision-making in public and private organisations
by improving awareness of the future.
Datamonitor
Leading broad-based market research company.
DaVinci Institute
Entrepreneurship, innovation, and futurism. Membership organization.
Deutche
Bank Research
A leading global think tank for trends in business, society,
and finance.
Draper Fisher
Jurvetson
Premiere IT and nano venture capital for accelerating technological
change (Tim Draper, John Fisher, Steve Jurvetson).
Edge.org
Leading site for deep social, technological, and scientific
commentary (John Brockman).
Economic Research Associates
Economic analysis and future use assessments for industry
and government.
Estonian Institute for
Futures Studies
Foresight and development studies for the future of Estonia.
European Foresight Monitoring
Network
Fantastic portal for global foresight project activities.
Run by Mike Keenan of U. Manchester, PREST (United Kingdom).
Extropy
Institute
Increasing human choice and freedom in the future (Max More,
Natasha Vita-More).
Fast Future
UK-based change management, innovation, incubation, and venturing
group (Rohit Talwar)
Finnish Society for
Futures Studies
Futures research and development studies for Finland.
Finland
Futures Academy (Turku, Finland)
Futures studies for universities. 17 member universities.
Forecast
International
Market research and intel group serving aerospace, defense,
and power systems.
Forecasting
International
Global trend analysis, futures consulting and speaking (Marvin
Cetron)
Foresight
Institute
Understanding the future of nanotechnology (Eric Drexler,
Christine Peterson).
Forrester Research
Technology trends, strategy, and investment research.
Future
Foundation - Experian (London, UK)
Consumer trends, market research, new product research (Melanie
Howard, Michael Wilmott).
Futures Foundation
(Melbourne, Australia)
Tools and perspectives for indiv. and organizational futures
(Charles Brass).
Futures Group
International (and Futures
Group Europe)
International health and development planning.
Future Skills
(West Yorkshire, UK)
Presentations and workshops on all aspects of futures studies
(Graham May).
Futures Lab
Consumer and business futures consultancy (Derek Woodgate,
Wayne Pethrick).
Futuribles
Prospective studies/foresight research since 1960's (Michel
Godet)
Futurist.com
Futures retreats, seminars, and conference keynotes (Glenn
Hiemstra, Brenda Cooper).
Gallup Organization
Global polling, market research and consulting organization.
Gartner Group
Research and advice in using information technology in business.
Global Business
Network - Monitor Group
Scenarios and risk management for the longer term future (Peter
Schwartz).
Global Change
Trends analysis and conference keynotes (Pat Dixon)
Global
Ideas Bank
Repository for edited public domain tech, policy, and business
ideas for the taking.
Global Insight
World's leading econometric forecasting think tank.
Global Future Forum
Independent partnership of futurists, academics, and businesspeople
for futuring, strategic planning and change management (Rohit
Talwar).
Global Vision Consulting Ltd.
Helping organizations understand and respond effectively to
accelerating change (David Forrest).
GLOCOM,
International U. of Japan
Social science analysis of the information society.
Henley Centre
International strategic futures and marketing consultancy
(UK).
IBM
Almaden Research Center, IBM Research
Developing visionary products and platforms for intelligent
technology.
Institute of Business Forecasting
(IBF)
A full-service provider of business forecasting and operations
planning services.
International Data Corporation
(IDC)
Leading information technology market research firm.
IEEE (Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers)
"Eye-triple-E" is a non-profit, technical professional
association of 380,000 individual members in 150 countries.
Industrial Research Institute
Association of business leaders in R&D, working to enhance
the effectiveness of technological innovation.
INEER (International
Network for Engineering Education and Research)
A networking professional organization (engineers, educators
and researchers in 98 countries) to help advance global engineering
education and research.
Infinite Futures
Forsight consulting, futures research, and strategic planning
(Wendy Schultz).
Information Technology Association
of America (ITAA)
Trade association representing the broad spectrum of the world-leading
U.S. IT industry.
In-Q-Tel
DARPA/VC arm of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Communicating
intel needs, reviewing business plans, funding companies,
delivering tech solutions. Founded 1999.
In-Stat/MDR
Leaders in market research and forecasts for semiconductor
and digital devices.
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Institute
for Alternative Futures (IAF)
Health care futures, governance and public policy consultancy
(Clem Bezold, Jonathan Peck).
Institute
for Future Studies (Innsbruck, Austria)
Applied research on the future of education and work.
Institute
for Futures Research (IFR) (Bellville, South Africa)
Corporate strategy support. Affiliated with the U. of Stellenbosch
futures studies graduate program.
Institute
for Futures Studies (IFS) (Stockholm, Sweden)
Futures studies, long-term analysis, and related activities.
Institute for Futures
Studies and Technology Assessment (Germany)
Evaluating the development of emerging technologies, with
a focus on sustainability (Rolf Kreibich)
Institute
for Global Futures (IGF)
Business strategy, outreach, and forecasts for the digital
future. (James Canton)
Institute for Operations
Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS)
Serves scientific and professional needs of OR/MS investigators,
scientists, students, educators, and managers. OR is optimization
theory and practice, "the science of better."
Institute for the Future
at AACC
Excellent example of the kind of futures organization that
should exist at every institute of higher education in the
U.S. Has a speakers bureau for the faculty at this Community
College that like to speak on the future, not just the past
or present.
Institute for Scientific Research
(ISR)
Advanced research and development for NASA, DoD, govt., and
commercial clients (George Pederson).
Institute for the Future (IFTF)
One of the oldest and most respected futures consultancies
(Paul Saffo).
International Institute
of Forecasters (IIF)
Stimulating the generation, distribution, and use of knowledge
on forecasting.
International Society for Technology
in Education (ISTE)
Globally improving teaching and learning by advancing the
effective use of technology in education.
Jupiter Research
Market research and analysis of the consumer internet industry.
KurzweilAI.net
Leading long-term technology and artificial intelligence futures
portal (Ray Kurzweil, Amara Angelica).
Linden Lab
Creators of Second Life,
the award-winning 3D online world where users create, inhabit,
and own all digital content of their own design (Philip Rosedale,
Cory Ondrejka)
LIPSOR
(Laboratory for Investigation in Prospective Strategy and
Org) (France)
Strategic foresight in emerging technologies. Strong PhD tech
foresight program through CNAM.
Long Now Foundation
Promoting long-term thinking and action. Excellent Seminars
About Long-Term Thinking. See Long
Bets for publicly-accountable long-term predictions (Jeff
Bezos, Stuart Brand, Kevin Kelly).
Long
Future Research Group (Hungary)
An attempt to look at the future on cosmological timescales
(Eva Toth).
ManyWorlds
Strategy, innovation, futures, and collaborative process management
(Steve Flynn).
Markle Foundation
Accelerating communications media and information technology
development to improve civic life.
Max
Planck Society for the Advancement of Science
Interdisciplinary and innovative research in the natural sciences,
life sciences, social sciences, and humanities. 21,000 in
staff.
McKinsey
Global Institute
Economic research think tank of McKinsey & Co. Excellent
broad reporting.
NASA Institute for Advanced
Concepts (NAIC)
Seeks proposals for revolutionary aeronautics and space concepts
from outside thinkers and researchers. Model for eliciting
high-leverage public foresight.
National Institute
of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Japan's largest public research organization. Bleeding edge.
National Intelligence
Council of the CIA
The U.S. intelligence community's center for mid- and long-term
strategic thinking. Excellent futures publications.
Office of Naval Research
(ONR)
To foster, plan, facilitate and transition scientific research.
PA Consulting Group
One of the oldest and largest global mgmt, systems, and tech
consulting groups.
Panopticon
Innovative visioning and alternative futures group in Antwerp
(Belgium).
PARC (Palo Alto Research
Center)
Xerox subsidiary. Interdisciplinary R&D in physical, comp.,
and social sciences.
Pardee
Center for the Study of the Long Range Future, Boston
U.
Exploring the world's long-term political and social future.
Principia
Cybernetica Project
Leading portal for exploring concepts in cybernetics, systems
theory, and complex adaptive systems (Francis Heylighen)
Program for the Human
Environment, Rockefeller University
Exploring how long-run technical change relates to productivity
and efficiency of energy, materials, land, and other resources,
and the consequences for human populations. Elucidating our
progression toward a micro-emissions society.
PSFK
Trends, innovation and market consulting, publishing, and
conferences (Piers Fawkes)
RAND Corporation
(and RAND Pardee Center)
Trend extrapolation, policy studies and tech assessment pioneers.
Rocky Mountain Institute
Innovation and technology oriented sustainability organization.
Natural capitalism paradigm (Amory Lovins).
SAMI
(St. Andrews Management Institute) Consulting
Scenario planning, strategy, and risk management consulting
to deliver resilient decisions in uncertain times (Gill Ringland).
Santa Fe Institute (and
SFI
Business Network)
Leading quantitative complexity studies institution (George
Cowan, Murray Gell-Mann).
Shaping Tomorrow
Subscription-based trend analysis and futures database community.
Free newsletter. (Mike Jackson).
Shell Scenarios
Group
Scenario planning pioneers. Long term energy and technology
futures.
Social Technologies
Corporate and institutional futures consultancy (Tom Conger).
SRI International
(and SRI Consulting
(Chemical and Health))
Consulting and strategic planning for the longer range future.
Stratfor
Private intelligence for global business, economics, security,
and geopolitics.
TechCast
Expert tech trend forecasting and analysis community (Bill
Halal).
Technology
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Maximizing technology’s contribution to economic growth,
high-wage job creation, and the social well being of the United
States. Includes NIST, NTIS and OTP.
Trendburo
Social and marketing trend consultancy (Matthias Horx, Ooona
Strathern).
Trendirama
Collaborative platform for writing and rating articles about
the future of a variety of topics (Javier Marti)
Trends Research Institute
(TRI)
A network of 25 multidisciplinary experts who forecast, analyze
and track trends (Gerald Celente).
TTI/Vanguard
Five conference/year forum for evaluation of emerging and
breakthrough information technologies for Fortune 500's and
top institutions. $30,000/seat. (Hal Levin)
Umberto
Veronesi Foundation for the Progress of Science
Great annual conference on the Future
of Science. (Venice, Italy).
U.S.
Air War College - Future Studies
Futures perspectives on security, warfighting, strategy, sci-tech,
counterproliferation, innovation adoption, and other topics.
(Ted Hailes)
Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars (WWICS) and
Foresight and Governance Project at WWICS
Center is a living memorial for President Wilson, the
only U.S. president with a Ph.D., who believed public service
and scholarship should be unified. Acceleration-aware "policy
dialog in a Moore's Law World." (David Rejeski)
Woodside Institute
Complexity-inspired (resilience and innovation) strategic
planning (Gary Hamel, Liisa Valikangas).
Worldchanging.org
Models, tools and ideas for building a bright green future.
Worthy successors to Whole Earth Review and Whole
Earth Catalog.
World Future
Council
The first well-funded effort (5 million Euros) at creating
an international consortium of futures researchers. Focused
on sustainability over innovation, yet a good balance to Western
views. New HQ in 2007.
World Future
Society
Seeking out the world's preferred cultural and political futures
(Ed and Jeff Cornish, Cindy Wagner, Sue Echard).
World Futures Studies Federation
(WFSF)
Small group of academic and internationalist futurists. They
are heavily represented with utopian socialists and cultural
relativists (often anti-sci-tech, anti-West), though this
may change.
World Technology Network
Multidisciplinary association of scientists and technologists
creating new technologies and business processes. Invitation
only.
World
Transhumanist Association
Considering technological changes to the human condition in
the near and longer-term future (Nick Bostrom, James Hughes).
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Other
Important Future-Related Orgs
Scientific,
Technology, Governance, Business, Political, Social,
Personal
and Spiritual —
Not Necessarily Acceleration Aware
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Scientific and Research
| Alliance
for Science and Technology Research in America (ASTRA)
Groups working to increase federal funding for the physical
& mathematical sciences and engineering.
Atmospheric
and Environmental Research
Weather prediction. Leaders in the proposal for weather (hurricane,
storm) control via space based satellite heating (Ross Hoffman).
American Society
for Cybernetics
Small group (<200 members) spreading awareness and interest
in cybernetics, control theory, and systems thinking. Founded
in 1964. (Heinz Von Foerster)
American
Statistical Association (ASA)
Founded in 1839 for promoting statistical practice, applications,
and research, improving statistical education and the statistics
profession.
Arden Institute
Innovative research on synthetic worlds (Ted Castronova)
Aspen Center for Physics
Unique summer retreats for physics and astrophysics researchers.
Association of Science-Technology
Centers (ASTC)
Building the effectiveness of Sci-Tech centers and museums
nationally.
Asymmetric
Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA)
Research initiative discussing global asymmetric threats (DK
Matai).
Astrobiology
at NASA
Astrobiophysical exploration of the past and future of life
in the universe. Very useful big-picture dialog.
Center for Inquiry
International
Promoting science, reason, and freedom of inquiry. Publish
Skeptical Inquirer.
Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility
Assessing the power, problems, and promise of information
technologies.
Council of Scientific Society
Presidents (CSSP)
Elected leaders of sixty U.S. scientific organizations. Science
policy and leadership organization.
CrossRef
A nonprofit group promoting open standards for citation linking
on the web.
Institute for Mathematical
Behavioral Sciences (UCI)
Generating a fruitful relationship between mathematical models
and the behavioral and social sciences
Institute for Pure and
Applied Mathematics (IPAM) (UCLA)
NSF-funded center for interdisciplinary math modelling, including
singularity theory.
Institute for Science, Engineering,
and Public Policy (ISEPP)
Improving local understanding of issues in science, technology
and society (STS) (Terry Bristol). Portland,
OR; San Jose, CA.
International Federation of
Systems Research (IFSR)
A small but very thoughtful international and academic group
of systems researchers.
International Network
of Scientists and Engineers for Global Responsibility (INES)
Developing insight into the impact of science and technology
on society. Disarmament focus.
International Institute for
Advanced Studies (IIAS) in Systems Research and Cybernetics
Committed to the transdisciplinary development and promotion
of cybernetics and systems research.
International Institute
for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Inter-disciplinary scientific studies on environmental, economic,
technological and social issues in the context of human dimensions
of global change.
International Institute for
General Systems Studies (IIGSS)
Promoting research and education and development of more mature
theories and truly successful applications of systems research
in all branches of knowledge (J. Yi-Lin Forrest)
International Society for the
Systems Sciences (ISSS)
The original general systems theory society. Small, international
(Ludwig von Bertalanffy)
International Society
for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI)
Professionals in the emerging interdisciplinary fields of
informetrics, bibliometrics/scientometrics, technometrics
and webometrics.
Institute for International
Education (IIE)
World leader in the international exchange of educators, fellows,
scholars, and ideas (Global)
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Karolinska
Institute
A world leader in public health and medical research.
Merck
Institute for Science Education
Improving U.S. teacher ability, student participation, and
performance in science subjects.
NASA
Institute for Advanced Concepts
Revolutionary aeronautics and space concepts based on sound
scientific principles, attainable in a 10 to 40 year time
frame.
National Academy of Sciences
Pro bono expert advisors to the nation on science, engineering,
and medicine.
National Council for
Science and the Environment
Studies, programs, and conferences to improve the scientific
basis for environmental decisionmaking.
National Center for Science
Education (NCSE)
Defending the teaching of evolution in public schools. Considers
all intelligent design "creationist." Doesn't understand
the theory of intelligent self-organized design (developmental
cosmology).
National Science Teachers Association
(NTSA)
Promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and
learning (55,000 members).
New England Complex Systems Institute
(NECSI)
Multidisciplinary educational and research institute, advancing
the study of complex systems.
Physicians for
Social Responsibility
Elimination of weapons of mass destruction and violence, sustainability
promotion.
Science Ed. for
New Civic Engagement & Responsibilities (SENCER)
NSF-funded summer institute for science educators who want
to improve critical thinking, analysis, numeracy, and civic
responsibility.
Scientists and Engineers
for America (SEA)
A policy group dedicated to electing public officials who
respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific
and engineering advice in making public policy. They plan
to "grade" public officials on this. What a concept!
SETI Institute
Research in the origin, nature, and prevalence of intelligent
life in the universe.
Skeptics Society
Promoting scientific and critical thinking. Evaluating edge
science and the paranormal.
Society for Amateur Scientists
Helping ordinary people ("citizen scientists") learn
and do scientific research.
Society for the Social
Studies of Science (4S)
Oldest and largest scholarly association devoted to understanding
science and technology.
Society
for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Exploring structure and action of biological systems at multiple
scales.
Society
for Scientific Exploration (SSE)
Investigation of anomalous and speculative topics usually
ignored by science. Since 1982.
Systems Dynamics
Society (SDS)
Studying and managing complex feedback systems in business,
technology, and society. Founded 1984. (Jay Forrester)
Union of Concerned Scientists
Scientists and citizens building a healthier, safer, environmentally
sustainable world.
US Naval Research Laboratory
(NRL)
Corporate research laboratory for the Navy and Marine Corps
World Technopolis
Association
International network of "science cities," promoting
better S&T city development and governance.
Zogby International
Polling and market research for North America, Latin America,
the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
Edge Science
Informological Institute
(Geneva, Switzerland)
"Informology" is defined here as an emerging information
science of spatial relations between information processing
systems. (Informology is better known as library and information
science). Transdisciplinary, of uneven quality.
Poor Science/Disinformation
Association for
the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO)
Instructive example of how data can be systematically misconstrued
in service to an agenda: the proposal that world is "energy
poor" and will run out of cheap fossil fuels by the mid
21st century. So far, the evidence is strongly against this
perspective.
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Technology and Innovation
| General
21st Century
Airships
Prototypes for "stratellites"
at 50,000 ft. for continuous city monitoring, border defense
and broadband (Hokan Colting).
ABI Research
Technology market research for manufacturers and service companies.
Ackoff Center for
the Advancement of Systems Approaches (ACASA at U Penn)
Dedicated to advancing Systems Thinking research worldwide
(Russ Ackoff)
Advanced Design Institute
Facilitating advanced design thinking and practice.
Alignent
Technology and product roadmapping software for product development
and innovation.
American Association for Artificial
Intelligence (AAAI)
Excellent generalist coverage of the A.I. field.
American Council for Technology
(ACT)
Networking industry and the government IT community in initiatives
to improve government.
American Electronics Association
Nationwide non-profit trade association representing all U.S.
technology industries, from software and semiconductors to
electronics and telecom.
American Society for Information
Science and Technology (ASIS&T)
4,000 librarians and information professionals searching for
new and better theories, techniques, and technologies to improve
access to information.
American Technology
Research
Independent research on technology and growth companies.
APEC Center
for Technology Foresight (CTF) (Thailand)
Improving foresight capability and leading-edge planning tools
for APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) nation economies
and businesses.
Archimedes
Project (Stanford University)
IT assistance project for the disabled, elderly, illliterate,
and all users of information appliances. Linguistic user interface
oriented.
Artificial Development
Building CCortex™, the largest simulation of the human
cortex and peripheral neural systems to date (Marcos Guillen)
Association for Computational
Linguistics (ACL)
Leading computational linguistics/NLP society. CUI here we
come!
Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM)
Oldest and largest computer science society in the U.S.
BBN Technologies
Very creative contract innovator. One of the original developers
of the internet. Today they do a lot of security innovation
for the DoD and industry.
Bridges.org
International nonprofit promoting effective use of ICT in
the developing world.
Buckminster Fuller Institute
Anticipatory design science. Sustainable technologies for
Spaceship Earth.
CacheLogic
Leading research on the bottom-up growth of P2P networks.
Center for the Development
of Technological Leadership (CDTL)
Bridging the gap between engineering, strategy, and foresight
for high-tech businesses (U. of Minnesota).
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
Considering near and longer term issues and implications of
nanotechnology development.
CommunityNetworking.org
Low-cost IT networks and open source tools for community empowerment.
Computer Emergency Response
Team (CERT)
A center of Internet security expertise. Carnegie Mellon U.
Computer Security Institute
Leading membership organization training information, computer
and network security professionals.
DARPA Grand
Challenge
Autonomous vehicles competition, L.A. to Las Vegas. $1 million
prize.
Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
The association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies,
industry associates, and international affiliates (60% of
US electricity).
Electric Power
Research Institute (EPRI)
A nonprofit center for public interest energy and environmental
research.
Engineers for
a Sustainable World (ESW)
Innovative development solutions for the third of the world
still in poverty.
Engineers Without Borders
Linking engineering students with projects in developing countries
for clean water, renewable energy, appropriate and sustainable
technology.
Firefox
(Mozilla)
Award-winning free open source browser. Preserving choice
and innovation on the internet (Blake Ross)
Franklin
Institute
Formed in 1824 to promote science, technology, and the legacy
of Benjamin Franklin. Oldest and prestigious annual US awards
in S&T.
GRID Alternatives
Providing subsidized solar panels for low income communities
in need, allowing them to sell their excess energy back to
the grid. $600,000 annual budget, donation-based.
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Hypercar
Amory Lovin's CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) auto
body design and production group. Radical lightweighting and
fuel saving.
IDEO
Leading product design consultants (Tom Kelley)
Information Technology
& Innovation Foundation
Advancing a pro-innovation, pro-technology public policy agenda
(Wash, DC)
Innovation-TRIZ
Forecasting and planning tool based on the study of invention
patterns in global patent literature (Jack Hipple).
Institute
of Transportation Studies
(U.C. Berkeley)
Funded at $25M/yr. One of the world's leading centers for
transportation research and futures.
International Association
of Nanotechnology (IANANO)
Fostering global research and business collaboration in nanotech.
Roadmap.
International Center for Technology
Assessment (ICTA)
Nonprofit exploring the economic, ethical, social, environmental
and political impacts of technology (Washington, DC).
International Federation of
Robotics
Annual ISR conference, maintains comprehensive list of companies
in robotics.
International Informatics Institute
ICT and electronic media research, education and consulting
(Jack Powers).
International
Technology Education Association (ITEA)
The leading professional organization of technology teachers.
Promoting worldwide technological literacy by improving the
teaching of technology and the professionalism of those engaged
in this pursuit.
International Traffic
Medicine Association (ITMA)
Working to reduce automotive fatalities worldwide. There are
42,000 such deaths annually in the U.S. (15th worst per million
vehicles in 2004). The vast majority are due to driver behavior.
International
Society for Genetic and Evolutionary Computation
Leading society exploring genetic algorithms and early evolutionary
computation. Not yet biologically-inspired or evolutionary
developmental, but a worthy start.
KnowledgeContext
Giving young people the ability to make the best choices in
a world where computers, telecommunications, and biotechnology
change with greater and greater speed.
MITRE
Nonprofit charted to do systems, IT, and operations R&D
in the public interest. 5,700 scientists.
National Association of Manufacturers
(NAM)
The nation's oldest and largest broad-based industrial trade
association, represents 14,000 companies in every industrial
sector in every state.
NeuroInsights
Investing and strategy coverage of the emerging neurotechnology
industry (Zack Lynch).
Outsell
Market analysis for the information industry. Leading analysts
of the IT analysts (IDC, Gartner, Forrester, etc.).
Planetary Society
Leading nonprofit space advocacy group. "Outer space,
not inner space."
Practical Futurist
Technology futures weblog and conference keynotes (Michael
Rogers).
Probabilistic
Logic Learning
Tutorial on a major new automated machine learning tool, integrating
probability models with first-order logical or relational
representation languages (L. De Raedt, K. Kersting)
Red
Team Racing (Carnegie Mellon Robotics)
Blog for CMU's autonomous Hummer, Sandstorm.
Society for Artificial Intelligence
and the Simulation of Behavior
The U.K.'s largest A.I. society. London A.I. mailing list
(U. Sussex).
Strategic Futures International
Long range forecasting, strategy, planning for industry, institutions,
and govt.
Strategy Analytics
A leading employee-owned international research and consulting
firm in the information, communication, and entertainment
technology industries.
Technology Foresight
Center
Part of the United Kingdom's Foresight Program. Providing
challenging visions of the future to ensure effective strategies
now.
Technology
Futures
Consulting for market and business implications of technological
change, with special experience in IT (John Vanston, Austin,
TX)
TunnelBuilder.com
Leading portal for the world's tunnelling industry. Expect
underground urban automated highway and parking systems by
mid century. (Mike Smith)
World
Energy Council (WEC)
Leading research consortium exploring the supply and use of
energy worldwide.
Technology Roadmapping
Centre for
Technology Management, Institute for Management, University
of Cambridge
Top U.K. business school. Nice set of links
on technology roadmapping.
International Technology
Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS)
The leading global consortium for roadmapping semiconductor
devices. Fascinating reading.
Management of Accelerated
Technology Innovation (MATI), Kellogg School of Management,
Northwestern U. Kellogg is the #1 U.S. business school. Run
by Mike Radnor, Professor.
|
•
Business, Economics,
and Development
| General
American
Academy of Actuaries (AAA)
Public policy and professionalism organization for U.S. actuaries.
American
Marketing Association
A leading source for information, knowledge sharing and development
in the marketing profession. 38,000 members. See also Silicon
Valley chapter.
American
Productivity and Quality Center (APQC)
Provides businesses with expertise in benchmarking and best
practices research.
Aon/Albert G Ruben
Innovative global insurance and long- and short-term risk
management.
ApproTec
Appropriate technologies for African enterprise development.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
(US Dept of Commerce)
Promoting understanding of the U.S. economy by providing timely,
relevant, and accurate economic accounts data.
Business Software Alliance
A piracy-fighting and cyber security consortium of key software
companies. Early internet immune system.
Center for
Regional Innovation
Advancing an innovation-based economic development model in
regional U.S. economies.
Cliometrics Society
Using historical data, economic theory, and statistical techniques
to study historical economic change, and inform the present
and future..
Comprehensive Crisis
Management
Pre-identification and management of human-created organizational
crises. In important example of applied futurism.
Corbett
and Associates
Leaders in global outsourcing consulting and education. Producers
of the Outsoucing World Summit. (Michael Corbett)
Council on Competitiveness
A leading business, academic, and labor forum for elevating
national competitiveness to the forefront of national consciousness
(Wash, DC).
Decision
Analyst
World-class market research and innovation (creative consumer
panels) services. (Arlington, TX)
Encore
Software (Bangalore, India)
Makers of the Simputer, a scalable, open source computing
platform used in India.
Ernst & Young
Leaders in accounting, tax, risk, technology, and human capital
services and consulting.
Foundation on Economic Trends
Lobbies for federal legislation, studies emerging trends in
science and technology and their impact on the environment,
economy, and society. Alarmist, utopian. (Jeremy Rifkin)
Glocal Vantage
Innovation, futures, and systems consultation for business,
nonprofit, and municipalities.
Graduates Club
Networking and learning group for MBAs and other business
professionals.
Harvest Plus
Breeding bioengineered crops for better nutrition in emerging
nations.
Human Resource Institute
(at the University of Tampa)
Human resources trends, issues, strategy, and futures.
IC2 Instititute (U Texas
at Austin)
(Innovation, Creativity & Capital). Devoted to accelerating
wealth and job creation at home and abroad.
Intellectual
Ventures
Nathan Mhyrvold's "Exponential Economy" IT R&D
and acquisition group.
International
Schumpeter Society
A German research center for evolutionary and developmental
economics, in the spirit of J. A. Schumpeter. 400 members.
International Society of Six
Sigma Professionals (ISSSP)
Promoting the advancement of Six Sigma efficiency and quality
initiatives in business.
iRobot
Creating realistic robotic solutions to real-world problems
(Colin Angle, Helen Greiner, Rodney Brooks)
|
Milken
Institute
Focusing on the effects of economic, political, technological
and regulatory changes on the world economy and its societies.
National
Investment Banking Association
Regional and independent brokerages, investment banking firms,
and related capital market service providers.
National Venture Capital Association
Supporting entrepreneurial activity and innovation.
Nomura Research
Institute
Japan's leading IT consulting and systems solution firm.
NPD Group
Global consumer marketing research for manufacturers and retailers.
Plexus Institute
Improving the health of individuals, families, communities,
organizations, and the environment by helping people use concepts
in complexity science.
Project Management Institute
Project management’s leading global professional association
(100,000 members).
SAP
The world's largest inter-enterprise software company.
Six Apart
Leading low-cost tools for publishing weblogs (Randy and Mena
Trott)
Society of Actuaries
(SOA)
Leading professional society promoting methodologies for the
modeling and management of financial risk and contingent events.
Society of Competitive Intelligence
Professionals (SCIP)
Leading organization teaching the value of competitive intelligence
in forecasting and adapting to business change.
Society for Organizational
Learning
Achieving profit, equity, and sustainability in "learning
organizations." (Peter Senge et. al.)
Tower Group
World's leading research and consulting firm focused on trends
and issues in the global financial services industry.
United Nations
Millennium Project
Action plan to achieve the global Millennium
Development Goals.
VitalSmarts
Training solutions for helping individuals and organizations
to learn and practice better leadership, supervision, and
communication, and to improve individual and corporate ethics.
Wall Street Journal
Online
Excellent website for domestic business activities. Superior
coverage and analysis.
WGSN
Consumer and cultural trends and design inspiration for the
fashion industry.
World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO)
Promoting global use and protection of intellectual property.
Specialized agency of the U.N. (Geneva, Switzerland)
Analysts
JALA International
Telework, telecommuting, and applied futures research. Keynote
Systems
Measurement and monitoring services to improve internet and
e-business performance.
ON
World
Market research for emerging markets in wireless technology
(San Diego).
Themis Group
Online and interactive entertainment research group and consultancy.
Incubators
Idealab
Technology business incubator (Pasadena, CA | Bill
Gross)
|
•
Governance, Peace,
Security, and Environment
| Action
Against Hunger (AAH)
Specializing in emergency situations of war, conflict, and
natural disasters.
Alidade
Information age consulting to defense and corporate clients
using complex systems, process innovation, and futures methodologies.
(Jeffrey Cares, David Jarvis)
American Evaluation Association
Assessing the strength and weaknesses of programs, personnel,
and technology. Great complement to futures studies.
Beyond War
A revitalization of the Beyond War movement of the 1980's
that had 24,000 participants in 23 states in the USA and worldwide.
Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace
Nonpartisan promotion of international cooperation and U.S.
engagement for peace.
Center for Energy
and Climate Solutions
Championing solutions to improve energy sustainability and
reduce greenhouse gases (Joseph Romm)
Center for Advanced Defense
Studies (CADS)
Promoting research, innovation and education in the fields
of information sciences, cognitive studies and global security.
Center
for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI)
Pioneering American
think tank on democratic issues from 1959 to 1987. Great archives
(Robert Hutchins).
Center for Nonproliferation
Studies (CNS)
The largest NGO devoted to curbing WMD proliferation, and
training grad students in nonproliferation studies. Part of
the Monterey Institute
of International Studies (MIIS).
Center for Strategic
and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
Research institute established to promote innovative thinking
about defense planning and investment strategies.
Centre for Counterintelligence
and Security Studies
Counterintelligence, counterterrorism and security training
and analysis. (David Major).
Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) and Center
for the Study of Intelligence (CSI)
The CIA conducts foreign intelligence, and their CSI conducts
public and private research on intelligence.
Computer TakeBack
Campaign
Aggressive NGO using anti-corporate public relations policy
to promote computer recycling (Robin Schneider)
Conservation International
Broad range of programs aimed at sustainability and maintaining
Earth's natural heritage.
Club of
Budapest
A systems theory-oriented community for improving sustainability
and "planetary consciousness." (Ervin Laszlo).
Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA)
The central research and development agency for the Department
of Defense.
Department of Homeland
Security (DSH) and Transportation
Security Administration (TSA)
DSH is tasked to organize the US to "secure the homeland"
from terrorist attacks. The TSA is chartered to protect the
nation's transportations systems.
Economic and Social Research
Council (ESRC)
The UK's leading research funding and training agency addressing
economic and social concerns. Business and public sector.
European
Commission's Forward Studies Unit, Institute
for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) (Spain) and
Foresight on
Information Society Technologies in Europe (FISTE)
Long range forecasting studies on European Integration and
Technology
Federal Forecasters
Consortium
Interdisciplinary group of governmental leaders seeking to
improve forecasting for public policy decisions.
Federation of American Scientists
and Project on
Government Secrecy
Monitoring government secrecy, the global arms trade and the
control of weapons of mass destruction. Inc
ForestEthics
Redirecting the U.S. marketplace toward more sustainable forestry
management.
Friends of the Earth
Network of grassroots environmental groups in 70 countries.
Founded in San Francisco in 1969 by David Brower.
Future Positive
(Synearth)
Sustainability-oriented approach to understanding accelerating
change. (Timothy Wilken)
Global Scenario Group (GSG)
Sustainability-oriented scenarios for world resource governance
(Paul Raskin).
Green Belt Movement
Kenyan and international movement for tree planting and women
and child empowerment (Wangari Maathai)
GreenMotion
Ideas, action, and partnerships to advance a green U.S. future
(Leah Thompson).
H.L. Stimson Center
Practical, nonpartisan, creative solutions to the problems
of national and international security.
Intnat'l Assoc. of Directors
of Law Enforcement Stds & Training (IADLEST)
Assist U.S. states in establishing effective and defensible
standards for employment and training of law enforcement officers.
International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA)
Main nuclear nonproliferation enforcement group. Multinational,
U.N. independent.
International
Crisis Group (ICG)
Field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and
resolve deadly conflict.
International
Energy Agency (IEA)
Formed in 1974 by OECD members, to prevent a repeat of the
oil shock of 1973-4. The world has been dramatically more
conservation oriented since, even as global energy use continues
to grow slower every year since. (Humans, vs. the
ever more energy-efficient technologies we create, are becoming
a saturated planetary computational substrate).
National Defense Industrial Association
(NDIA)
An all volunteer industrial-government network driving the
future of defense through education, access, and influence.
National Science
Board
Legislative and executive advisory body. Established by congress
in 1950. NSF director is on the board.
NESTA FutureLab
(Nat'l Endowmt for Sci, Tech & Arts)
Leveraging IT to accelerate educational innovation (United
Kingdom)
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
Working to reduce the global threat from nuclear terrorism
and weapons proliferation (Ted Turner, Sam Nunn)
Ocean Alliance
Dedicated to the conservation of whales and their ocean environment
through research and education (Roger Payne).
OpenCongress
Very nice transparency platform for congressional bills, senators,
representatives, committees, etc. Start of collaborative democratic
feedback.
|
Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Thirty member countries sharing a commitment to democratic
government and the market economy. Active relationships with
70 other countries.
Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC)
Innovative USG agency that helps US businesses invest in emerging
markets by providing loans and risk insurance, in support
of US foreign policy and global development. Has earned a
profit since its inception in 1971.
Police
Futures International
Law enforcement, criminal and social justice, and the future
of the policing profession.
Policy Futures
Forecasting political change using voting and utility models
(Stanley Feder, Alan Schwartz)
Population Connection
Education and advocacy to reduce global population to sustainable
levels (formerly Zero Population Growth).
POST Command
College (California)
Training law enforcement for the challenges of the future.
President's
Council on Bioethics
Anti-interventionist biotechnology advisory body for the Bush
administration. "We don't need human interventions beyond
therapy."
Pugwash
Interdisciplinary conferences on science, social responsibility,
and world affairs.
Search for Common Ground
Fostering independent radio stations and peaceful conflict
resolution in 15 countries. 30% funded by USAID.
Sierra Club
America's oldest and largest (700,000 members) grassroots
environmental organization. Often acceleration-unaware.
Technology
Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce
Maximizing technology’s contribution to economic growth,
high-wage job creation, and the social well being of the United
States. Includes NIST, NTIS and OTP.
U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID)
U.S. foreign assistance for disaster recovery, escaping poverty,
and democratic reform.
U.S.
Air War College
Strategic thinking about security, warfighting, sci-tech policy,
counterproliferation, leadership, innovation, and futuring.
U.S.
Army Criminal Investigation Command
Investigative services for Army, including computer crimes
and cyber security.
U.S. Army War College
Preserving peace by the study of national defense and effective
command.
U.S. Dept. of Education. National
Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)
The primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data
related to education.
U.S. Dept. of Transportation.
Intelligent Transportation
Systems
Using advances in information technologies and electronics
to improve our nation's transportation network.
U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA, DoE)
Providing data, forecasts, and analyses to promote sound policy
making, efficient markets, and better public understanding
of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment.
U.S.
House Committee on Science
Jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research
and development. Since 1958.
U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP)
DC-based nonpartisan think tank doing studies on peace, conflict
resolution, democracy and development.
U.S. National Telecommunications
and Information Administration (NTIA) (DoC)
The President's principal adviser on telecommunications and
information policy issues.
United Nations
World's main international governance discussion group. Frequently
visionary but also very politicized, bureaucratic, and often
ineffectual.
UN
Global Compact
Bringing companies together with UN agencies, labor, and civil
organizations to support nine principles in international
human rights.
UN
ICT (Info and Communications Technologies) Task Force
Help harness the power of information and communication technologies
for advancing the global development goals of the Millennium
Declaration (particularly, halving the number of people living
in extreme poverty by 2015).
UN ITU (International Telecommunications
Union)
Helping governments and the private sector coordinate global
telecom networks and services.
World Conservation Union (IUCN)
World’s largest and most diverse conservation network
(Gland, Switzerland).
World Court (International
Court of Justice)
Legal arm of the U.N. The U.S. sometimes ignores its findings,
as it is still influenced by countries that have not developed
modern legal standards.
World Economic Forum (Davos,
Switzerland)
International organization where the world's corporate and
opinion leaders discuss world economic development and global
citizenship.
World Privacy
Forum
Non-partisan research, advocacy, and consumer education in
the intersecting areas of technology and privacy.
World
Social Forum
Annual meeting of the anti-globalisation (or more charitably,
sustainable globalization) movement to coordinate world campaigns.
World Technology Evaluation
Center (WTEC)
Cutting edge international technology assessment studies.
NBICS, simulation, etc.
World Trade Organization (WTO,
Geneva, Switzerland)
Global international organization dealing with the rules of
trade between 146 member nations.
World Wildlife Fund
Promoting biodiversity, renewability, and the reduction of
pollution and wasteful consumption.
|
•
Political and Public
Policy NGOs
|
Left
of Center
American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Defending individual rights and liberties through work in
courts, legislature, and communities.
Americans for
Democratic Action (ADA)
Nation's oldest independent liberal political organization.
Brady Center to Prevent
Gun Violence
Helping greatly to create a post-gun society.
Campaign for America's
Future
Progressive
agendas for corporate accountability and political change.
Center for
Ecoliteracy (Fritjof Capra)
Reconnecting children to the natural world to promote sustainable
communities.
Center for American
Progress
Promoting liberal public policies of strong government, strong
defense, more protected and regulated enterprise, extended
social programs, and individual welfare.
Center for Constitutional
Rights (CCR)
Leading legal institution of the progressive movement.
Center for Digital
Democracy
Preserving the openness and diversity of digital communications
and public interest programming.
Earth Institute
(at Columbia University)
Sustainability in science and public policy.
Economic Policy Institute
Wide ranging education and research promoting fair living
standards and prosperous economies.
Fabian
Society
British Labour Party think tank, historically advocating slow
change in social systems.
Foundation
for National Progress
Social justice reporting (Mother Jones).
Greenpeace
Environmental and go-slow technology activism.
Institute for
Policy Studies
Oldest U.S. multi-issue progressive think tank.
Institute for Public
Policy Research
Britain's leading progressive think-tank.
Metafuture.org
Global, multicultural, and macrohistorical futures perspectives.
Academic (Sohail Inayatullah, Ivana Milojevic).
National Network of Grantmakers
Social justice network, not a funding agency.
Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC)
Aggressive pro-environmental activism.
New College of California
Educational university with training in social advocacy.
Nuclear Control Institute
Significantly more alarmist than IAEA.
Nuclear Policy Research
Institute
Dr. Helen Caldicott's nonproliferation group.
People for the
American Way
Litigation and action for civil liberties.
PolicyLink
Working to advance policies to achieve economic and social
equity.
Progressive Policy Institute
Seeking to modernize progressive politics and government for
the information age.
True Majority
Collaborative social justice project (Ben Cohen).
United for a Fair Economy
"The richest 1% own 38%, the poorest 40% own 0.2%."
Advocates of economic democracy.
Urban Institute
"Social security will fail in 2041." Singularity
unaware.
War Resisters League
Antimilitarism and Ghandian nonviolence advocates.
World Future Studies Federation
Multicultural, inclusive, moderately anti-West, anti-technological.
Worldwatch Institute
(and Earth Policy Inst.)
Global assessment, environmental sustainability and social
justice.
|
Centrist
American
Enterprise Institute
Advocating limited government but with interventionist foreign
policy and strong defense.
Annenberg Public Policy
Center (at U. Penn)
Media, communication, and public policy research.
Brookings Institute
Oldest and largest U.S. nonpartisan public policy research
institute.
Center for Media and Democracy
Improving democracy by | |
