FTA break new ground in response to grand challenges

Purpose - This Guest Editorial aims to demonstrate the diversity of application fields in which FTA methods are being used and to offer a glimpse into possible consequences that grand challenges may imply for the development of FTA.Design methodology approach - This introductory paper provides an overview of selected FTA 2011 Conference contributions for this Special Issue.Findings - FTA approaches create spaces where an effective dialogue between key players in different policy domains facilitates vision-building and consensus-building for engineering major processes of transformation. Therefore, sound approaches of futures thinking will help to better address the grand challenges.Research limitations implications - From a large set of excellent papers presented at the FTA 2011 Conference, only a restricted number of papers could be included in this Special Issue highlighting the broad diversity of FTA application fields in response to grand challenges.Practical implications - FTA can contribute not only to the steering of diverse innovation systems, but also to their adjustment, adaptability and ability to shape responses to grand challenges.Social implications - The papers of this Special Issue point to the need for FTA to take into account user perspectives and to shape the social context.Originality value - This Special Issue brings together papers that explore not only the opportunities and limitations of implementing FTA methods in a variety of policy domains, but also their benefits in enabling a better understanding of complex systems that interact in each situation and in defining effective policy responses.