Overview
What does the future look like to you?
At Innovate UK, we’re interested to hear about what you imagine lies ahead. Because how we shape the future starts with how we think about it today. Building on the success of our Glimpse of the Future series (and our compelling pilot event in March 2025 exploring human longevity), we’re proud to introduce our new Human Futures series. This time, we’re shifting our lens to take a deeper, sociological look at the technologies of tomorrow and the societal challenges they’re meant to address.
How will we live, work and connect in the next 20 to 50 years? What innovations will help us tackle growing concerns around ageing, inequality, identity, and wellbeing?
To explore these pressing questions, we’ve invited a panel of thought-provoking experts to join Innovate UK’s resident futurist, Jonathan Mitchener, in a fireside conversation. Together, they’ll examine how future change (across economic, social, artistic, cultural, and psychological dimensions) will shape human experience.
But this won’t be a passive affair.
About the events
We’re looking for curious, creative, and collaborative minds to take part in the discussion. Participants will work in groups to reflect on the insights shared, and collectively imagine future artefacts, innovative concepts or solutions, that could help address one of the societal challenges discussed.
Please note that this event will not be recorded. Instead, attendees will receive an anonymised summary of the discussions afterwards, a small token of our appreciation for contributing to this future-facing dialogue.
We hope you’ll join us!
Agenda
12:00 – Arrival and Registration with Networking Lunch
13:00 – Welcome and Introductions – Innovate UK Business Connect
13:05 – Scene Setting – Jonathan Mitchener, Futurist, Innovate UK
13:15 – Fireside Chat with guest experts
13:45 – Roundtable Discussions
14:30 – Coffee Break
14:40 – Artefact Envisaging
15:05 – Roundtables Present Artefacts and Open Discussions
15:20 – Closing Remarks – Jonathan Mitchener, Futurist, Innovate UK
15:25 – Networking
16:00 – Event Close
Image credit: Fanny Maurel & Digit / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/