Technologies of the Future - 2024 edition

Overview

Identifying the UK's important future technologies

Thank you for taking the time to engage with our survey – on behalf of Innovate UK and UKRI we really appreciate and value your time and participation.  

Innovate UK in collaboration with our UKRI colleagues would like to draw on the wisdom and knowledge of the UK scientific community to help identify the new discoveries and developments  that could turn into the important technologies of the future. We are particularly interested in technologies that will have the greatest economic or social impact in 2050 and beyond.

No technology is too early or too bizarre to be included. From new battery materials to levitation technologies, from medical breakthroughs through to invisibility devices, from the technology for grid scale wireless energy transfer through to brain-computer interfaces, we are looking far and wide for the scientific breakthroughs of today that may become technologies of the future.

This survey contains six questions, only four of which are mandatory. We have tried to keep it as brief as possible so we don't take up too much of your time. To give you an example of the level of detail we are hoping for in your responses, past technologies identified through this survey include things like specific genetic treatments for disease, new techniques within AI, and details of the materials involved in the next generation of battery chemistry.

The insights collected by this survey are used in a number of UKRI activities, but they are particularly important for Innovate UK's 50 Emerging Technologies report. We use the technologies identified by you as the starting point to select this year's most interesting and important technologies to highlight to our community. So if you felt something essential was missing from last year's report, then please be sure to include that technology in your response. 

Why your views matter

We believe that the best way to identify the technologies of the future is to ask the people who are creating them. Scientists and researchers across the UK are developing the cutting-edge science and knowledge that will lead to the future creation and success of tomorrow's technologies. So we are coming to you, hoping that you can tell us about your breakthroughs, the science that is exciting you, and perhaps even let us know about some of the interesting and unexpected things you are tinkering with alongside your main area of work. 

To submit a response to this survey you don't necessarily need to be an expert in the field you are telling us about - if you have seen or heard something interesting from a colleague, have read something that has piqued your curiosity please feel free to include that in your answer. But also, if you are the person or team who have led to the breakthrough, please do let us know what you have created and why it excites you!

What happens next

This information will be used by Innovate UK and by horizon scanning teams across UKRI to help improve our understanding of the technology landscape. In particular, sharing your knowledge with us will help ensure we are focused on the right areas and  that we are developing useful and necessary programmes and support mechanisms.

Insight from the survey is also shared with UK government entities to support their emerging technologies and horizon scanning work. Data from past surveys has been used for policy discussion and development, such as informing the BEIS UK Innovation Strategy, including being essential to the creation of the Seven Technology Families,  and for providing insights to the Office for Science and Technology Strategy and National Science and Technology Council.

Please be assured that all responses will be treated in the strictest confidence. Your views will not be attributed to you personally in any analysis undertaken by us or our select partners in UK government.