Commissioned by the Latvian government and delivered with the OECD, this project (2020–2022) explored how strategic foresight can be applied to support the governance of Latvia’s innovation ecosystems. The focus was on designing and testing governance approaches that allow futures knowledge generated at the ecosystem level to feed into national policy, bridging both the micro (actors and processes) and meso (institutions and functions) levels of governance.
The project combined action research, stakeholder engagement, and governance design. We co-developed a micro–meso governance model that included micro processes such as engagement, collaboration, and anticipation, alongside meso-level functions like orchestrating, framing, and market-building.
Working with the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA), we ran a two-year programme that included seven ecosystem workshops and six governance workshops, engaging more than 80 stakeholders across Smart Mobility, Smart Materials & Photonics, Bioeconomy, and Biomedicine, and conducting over 40 in-depth interviews. This work produced a three-phase pathway (initiation → development & maintenance → exit) with actionable steps to coordinate support and integrate futures insights into decision-making.
A micro–meso governance model with clear processes and functions to channel ecosystem foresight into national policy.
Reusable tools and methods to apply anticipatory governance in key sectors such as bioeconomy, biomedicine, photonics, and smart mobility.
Support for coordinated governance structures, including the Innovation & Research Governance Council, to integrate futures knowledge into policymaking.
