International Futures Forum

The International Futures Forum (IFF) is a non-profit organisation based in Scotland that is involved with research and consultancy activities that are funded by business, philanthropy and the public sector. It is a think tank with links to a variety of other groups and organisations, largely through common memberships. It maintains an international network of thinkers, businesspeople and policy makers.

International Futures Forum
Formation2001 (2001)
HeadquartersAberdour, Fife
Director
Graham Leicester
Staff
5
Websitewww.internationalfuturesforum.com

History

The IFF was established in 2001, with BP providing some significant financial backing. Initially the IFF had a close association with the Scottish Council Foundation (SCF), a think-tank based in Edinburgh which had been formed in 1997 and was led by Graham Leicester.[1] After the initial two years IFF continued developing through its members voluntary work and occasional assignments.

The IFF has been registered as a charity in Scotland since 2007[2] and IFF Praxis Ltd operates as a private commercial company.[3] IFF has a board of trustees which oversee both the activities of IFF and its related Praxis Centres (currently in UK and US).[4]

Collaborations and output

The IFF has worked with a variety of organisations. Much of the material that is produced by the IFF is made available under a creative commons licence. The work has included areas such as health, learning, enterprise and governance.

Refinery downsizing

In 2002, as part of adjusting to global competition, BP had decided to downsize their Grangemouth Refinery and anticipated laying off about 1000 employees. BP realised that this would result in a significant depression on the local economy and asked the IFF how it could demonstrate some form of responsibility towards local stakeholders.[5] The IFF responded by proposing to reframe this as a creative opportunity, portraying the sacking of workers as being the release of high quality resources into the community.[5] BP is no longer owner of the refinery and Falkirk has gone on to attract large scale of inward investments to place its economy on a different path through "My Future's in Falkirk".[6]

Fife health

Soon after being formed, the IFF conducted case studies looking at health provision for deprived individuals and communities in Fife.[7]

Learning society

As part of the IFF group's early work they also conducted case studies on the learning society in Dundee.[8] This work also been cited in places such as UNESCO's policy around a learning society.[9]

Radioactive waste

In 2004, IFF / Praxis was commissioned by Nirex "to provide corporate communications advice in relation to the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) consultation programme". A 16 ft by 5 ft mural was produced as part of this collaboration.[10][11] IFF is neither pro nor anti-nuclear and its interest was in exploring perspectives on how the transient nature of cultures and civilisations could be recognised with hazards that lasts for tens of thousands of years. The IFF also made a written submission to the UK Parliament Select Committee on Public Administration on policy making in a world we don't understand and can't control.[12]

Kitbag

In 2004, The IFF Psychological Capacity project began, intending to look at cost-effective strategies and tools that could enlarge psychological capacity outside of care and welfare systems. In 2007 IFF received a grant from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) to further develop.[13]

Community health

In 2005, the IFF were engaged by the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland (RCGP) on a project intended to distil the "essence" of general practice.[14] In 2014, the IFF were commissioned by the RCGP to help with work on community engagement.[15]

Glasgow life and health

The Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) formed in 2004 and the IFF have been involved in several of their projects. The IFF were one of several organisations to provide support for the "Glasgow Indicators" project.[16] The GCPH also developed the "Glasgow Game" which was based upon the IFF’s "World Game" that had been created by Tony Hodgson.[17] "Miniature Glasgow" is a short film that GCPH made in collaboration with IFF to discuss life and health in Glasgow.[18]

Curriculum for Excellence

The IFF did some work with Education Scotland (and previously with HM Inspectorate of Schools) to help schools reflect and consider what is possible under the permissive framework of Curriculum for Excellence.[19][20] The IFF had first published a workbook in the Spring of 2009.[21] Education Scotland later produced a kit for transformational change[22] that was influenced by the IFF material.[23]

Healthcare education

In 2011, the IFF facilitated a workshop for NHS Education for Scotland in Edinburgh attended by a mixture of participants responsible for service and education aspects of the health service.[24]

Prison policy

In June 2014, Colin McConnell, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), delivered a speech at an event organised by the IFF.[25] McConnell laid out a compelling case “for the public acceptance of the need for forgiveness and redemption as the future cornerstone for reducing reoffending”.[26]

Funding

According to the IFF it enjoys "a variety of productive and mutually beneficial relationships with sponsors, clients, subscribers, like-minded groups, research funders and others".[27] What they label "core support" comes from BP and BT. Other organisations the IFF has worked with include

The IFF has a number of subscribers to their research output, among which are

Research funding has come from

Associated people

As of 2015, there are 5 staff employed by IFF, including the Director, Graham Leicester and Andrew Lyon, in a role described as "Converger".[28]

The following people have also had some involvement:[29]

  • Martin Albrow − Formerly Professor of Sociology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, author
  • Ruth Anderson − Chief Executive, Barataria Foundation, Scotland
  • Tony Beesley − Conceptual artist and cartoonist
  • Max Boisot − Adjunct professor of Asian Business and Comparative Management at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, author
  • Roberto Carneiro − Former Education Minister, President of Grupo Forum, Portugal, UNESCO International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century
  • Napier Collyns − Co-founder, Global Business Network (GBN), Emeryville, California
  • Brian Goodwin − Schumacher College, Devon and Santa Fe Institute, author
  • Mike Hambly − Business consultant, formerly Chief Executive, Digital Animations Group, Glasgow
  • Margaret Hannah − Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Deputy Director of Public Health in NHS Fife (and married to Graham Leicester).[30]
  • Pat Heneghan − Director, ForthRoad Limited, Scotland
  • Rebecca Hodgson − Researcher, International Futures Forum
  • Tony Hodgson − Director, Decision Integrity Limited, founder Metabridge AB, collaborator with the Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems, Senior adviser to Global Leaders Group
  • Robert E. Horn − Visiting Scholar, Stanford University, author
  • Kees van der Heijden − Professor at Templeton College, Oxford, author
  • Pat Kane − Writer, theorist and musician, Glasgow, author
  • Eamonn Kelly −President, Global Business Network, Emeryville, California, author
  • David Lorimer − Scientific and Medical Network, Scotland, editor
  • Charles Lowe −Consultant, Former head of e-government BT
  • Wendy Luhabe − Bridging the Gap, South Africa, author
  • Arun Maira − Boston Consulting Group, Delhi, India, author
  • Wolfgang Michalski − WM International, formerly Director, OECD International Futures Programme
  • Maureen O'Hara − President Emerita, Saybrook Graduate School, San Francisco and IFF
  • Ian Page − Former Research Manager / Futurist, HP Research Labs.
  • Nick Rengger − Professor of Political Theory and International Relations, University of St Andrews, author
  • Jennifer Williams − Director, Centre for Creative Communities, UK
  • Mark Woodhouse − Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Georgia State University, USA, author

References
  1. Hassan, Gerry (2014). Independence of the Scottish Mind. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 170. ISBN 9781137414144.
  2. "Charity Details: International Futures Forum, SC038749". Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. "International Futures Forum Financial Report 2012-2013" (PDF). International Futures Forum (IFF). 6 April 2015.
  4. "Governance". International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  5. "Falkirk's action plan an BP in Grangemouth. a 'second enlightenment' view" (PDF). International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 4 March 2005.
  6. "My Future's in Falkirk. The Way Forward" (PDF). www.myfuturesinfalkirk.co.uk/. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  7. "Health in Fife. A 'second enlightenment view'" (PDF). International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 4 March 2005.
  8. "Learning in Dundee. A 'second enlightenment view'" (PDF). International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 4 March 2005.
  9. "1" (PDF). Conceptual evolution and policy developments. UNESCO. 2011. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  10. "Info-Mural". Robert E. Horn. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  11. Leicester, Graham (6 October 2006). "The writing is on the wall for policy-making". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  12. "Memorandum by the International Futures Forum: Policy making in a world we don't understand and can't control". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 2 December 2005. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  13. Hannah, Margaret (2008). "An Introduction to Kitbag: Building Psychological Capacity in Powerful Times" (PDF). International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  14. Gillies, John CM; Mercer, Stewart W; Lyon, Andrew; Scott, Mairi; Watt, Graham CM (May 2009). "Distilling the essence of general practice:a learning journey in progress". British Journal of General Practice. 59 (562): e167–e176. doi:10.3399/bjgp09X420626. PMC 2673184. PMID 19401010.
  15. "Engaging Community Assets. Final Project Report". Royal College of General Practitioners (Scotland). May 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  16. "About the Glasgow Indicators project". Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  17. "Learning Zone: Glasgow Game". Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH). Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  18. "Miniature Glasgow - Video". Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH). 1 August 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  19. "Graham Leicester: Education more than numbers game". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  20. "Three Horizons". International Futures Forum. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  21. Leicester, Graham; Stewart, Denis; Bloomer, Keir; Ewing, Jim. "Transformative innovation in education: a playbook for pragmatic visionaries. Second Edition" (PDF). International Futures Forum. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  22. "Resources: Opening up the future". Education Scotland. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  23. "Graham Leicester: What we need now is real 'butterfly thinking'". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  24. ""Doing More with Less" 7th Event Report of the SE (NHS) Education Forum 24 June 2011" (PDF). NHS Education for Scotland. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  25. "International Futures Forum Speech by Colin McConnell 5 June 2014". Scottish Prison Service (SPS). 18 August 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  26. "Talking Point: A fairer outcome". Holyrood magazine. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  27. "Partners and Clients". International Futures Forum. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  28. "IFF Staff". International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  29. "IFF Clan". International Futures Forum (IFF). Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  30. Hannah, Margaret (2010). "Costing An Arm And A Leg. A plea for radical thinking to halt the slow decline and eventual collapse of the NHS" (PDF). Retrieved 6 April 2015.
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