A Global Crystal Ball
Wednesday, November 3, 2010

TAU's "Millenium Project" calls on an academic A-team to predict the future

From science and technology to economics and social unrest, future predictions are notoriously unreliable. Undaunted, scientists at Tel Aviv University's Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis Forecasting (ICTAF) have created the "Millenium Project," which aims to predict future trends and warn powerbrokers of problems that may arise, a recent story in Israel21c reports.

ICTAF's confidence arises from the quality of their researchers — experts from across the academic spectrum, from science to the humanities. They are charged with the task of predicting future opportunities and challenges, and what implications these developments may have for our society. "The center was created in order to help decision-makers do better thinking about future processes, and to make better decisions based on developments in science and technology," says Dr. Yair Sharon, ICTAF’s director.

Their forecasts have implications for commercial enterprises as well as governments. The center is examining a broad range of issues that will affect everyone, such as sustainable development, science and technology, energy, water, population, resources, global democratization, the future of communications, health issues, peace and security, the status of women and organized crime.

For the full story on the Millennium Project and Tel Aviv University's ICTAF, see:

http://israel21c.org/201009128308/social-action/the-power-to-predict-the-future

For more information on the Interdisciplinary Center for Technology Analysis Forecasting, visit the ICTAF Web site here

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