Views of 2030: Transport, health, manufacturing and education

The world is changing fast. Research and innovation policies in industry and academia need to focus on many aspects of socioeconomic change – in demographics, resource consumption, consumer expectations, technological disruption and more.

Many experts are studying these problems separately, but in Berlin on October 6th, 2014, Science|Business gathered leading members of its university-industry network from across Europe to share their knowledge and debate how these changes will affect their industries and disciplines. In short, what will Europe 2030 be like for its leading companies and universities?

Demographic changes, coupled with disruptive technologies and business models, will create collisions within a number of fields relevant for European industry, academia and policy makers. The report captures the impact these trends will have on the future of Europe.

Transport: Commuting across smart cities

• While old modes of mobility will continue to co-exist with the new, by 2030 there will be a change in commuting patterns across European cities driven by culture, demographics and policies.
• The growing number of elderly people and ‘millennials’, will bring about a redesign of public transport systems and cities’ infrastructure to embrace radical innovations such as self-driving cars, new concepts of car ownership and a shared economy.
• Also, changing work patterns will lead to an emergence of new types of “3rd spaces” – that is, spaces for work and collaboration which are neither home nor office.

Value-added manufacturing

• Value-added manufacturing, or a cyber-physical system with myriad embedded technologies, will reinvent manufacturing in Europe. Cost reduction will be achieved by shortening supply chains and time to market, rather than rising production volumes, while consumers will favour made-in-Europe products.
• Thanks to technological advances such as 3D printing, internet-of-things, artificial intelligence, or “brain2brain” communication, Europe will return to its industrial origins. But, products should be thought of in terms of the services that they can be combined with, using open source manufacturing for cost reduction.
• Europe has the potential to lead in the development of standards in this field, but talent shortage and inadequacy of skills could become a major limitation to value-added manufacturing in Europe.

Education: Learning environments of the 21st century

• Europe will witness a dramatic change in the job market, employment models and work patterns - leading to a redefinition of strategic skills and life-long learning. Talent shortages and demand for technical competences will push a return to professional and vocational training, devaluing generic university degrees.
• The traditional university model will coexist with hybrid learning environments and hubs beyond MOOCs.  Also, the funding model for new multidisciplinary research will be radically different and driven by citizens’ expectations and industry needs.
• Some European universities may remain reluctant to drive economic development, foster entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial education. However, most university labs will be more open to industry, SMEs, and individuals, who will have more influence on what equipment to finance.

Health: Digi-Care and Big Data

• Personal data and family data will have value for the development of new medical practices, and for health insurance. Future healthcare will be based on customised rather than personalised models, driven by big data and integration with the insurance industry.
• The cost of healthcare services, a shortage of qualified workers and technology advances will lead to radically new business models such as the ‘uberisation’ of healthcare. Procedures will be automated, as diagnostics procedures and medical care will be assisted by artificial intelligence.

The report was prepared with the assistance of Tataj Innovation.The full report is available for download here.