The Futures Academy is a research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

 organization. It was established in January 2003 and located in the Faculty of the Built Environment

Built environment

The term built environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from personal shelter and buildings to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply or energy networks.The built...

 in the Dublin Institute of Technology

Dublin Institute of Technology

Dublin Institute of Technology was established officially in 1992 under the but had been previously set up in 1978 on an ad-hoc basis. The institution can trace its origins back to 1887 with the establishment of various technical institutions in Dublin, Ireland...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. The Futures Academy was created to provide a creative approach towards strategic planning in Ireland by providing professional guidance to those agencies, organisations and individuals concerned with making long-term business decisions.

Aims

The main aims of the Futures Academy include:

• Testing policies directed towards evolving a sustainable
  Sustainable development
  Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
  
  future.
• Identifying the ‘key drivers of change’ that might impact on the future of sustainable development.
• Providing executive training and trans-disciplinary education in the concepts, methods and techniques of Futures Studies.
• Developing an approach for decision-makers and practitioners involved in forward planning that will lead to effective successful solutions.

External links

• The Futures Academy website