The second Strategic Foresight capacity-building cycle aimed at the regional stakeholder group of the SFP project concluded at the end of June. The programme consisted of three online webinars (18, 23 and 25 June) and involved institutions, research organisations, economic and social stakeholders from Friuli Venezia Giulia in a discussion on European and regional best practices for using foresight to support public policies.

Each one-hour session combined presentations of good practices collected by project partners with experiences developed at regional level. European practices were presented by Corrado Campobasso and Martina Pertoldi of Informest, while regional experiences were illustrated by Cinzia Battistella (University of Udine), Chiara Cristini (IRES FVG) and Fabio Millevoi (ANCE FVG).

During the webinar on 18 June, participants explored two experiences from the French region of Hauts-de-France: the regional Foresight Team, a permanent structure supporting public policies, and Coastline 2040, a participatory process aimed at building a shared vision for the future of coastal areas. Cinzia Battistella also presented the contribution of the University of Udine in developing anticipatory governance approaches to support public administrations, businesses and territorial services.

On 23 June, attention turned to Finland with the presentation of the Helsinki Vocational College good practice, which integrates foresight into the management of vocational education and training by actively involving teachers and students in analysing and developing future skills. Chiara Cristini then presented the Capability Blue Hub project, funded by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and dedicated to anticipating professional needs and development trajectories within the blue economy.

On 25 June, three experiences from Catalonia were presented: CAT2040, a strategic scenario-building exercise for the region’s future; Health Campus 2030, a participatory initiative designed to prepare the healthcare system for demographic and technological transformations; and the 2023–2026 Foresight Report for FPCAT, used to guide the evolution of the Catalan vocational education and training system. Fabio Millevoi presented the LICOF – Laboratory of Imagination on Future Constructions project, which applies foresight tools to the construction sector to identify scenarios, skills and organisational models needed to address future economic, environmental and technological transitions.

Overall, the three webinars highlighted recurring themes: the growing institutionalisation of foresight within public administrations; the importance of involving citizens, businesses, universities and stakeholders in shaping future visions; the use of scenarios to guide public policies; and the strategic role of foresight in supporting ecological, digital and demographic transitions, with a strong focus on anticipating future skills and professions. The experiences presented offered regional stakeholders concrete examples of how anticipatory tools can strengthen the capacity to prepare for change and transform it into development opportunities.

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