Institute for Technological Future Research
The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (English: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, JRC-IPTS ) is a research institute of the Joint Research Center . This European body is a division of the European Commission .
The JRC-IPTS conducts multidisciplinary research on issues that affect both socio-economic and scientific-technological aspects. It is commissioned by other directorates-general , other institutions of the European Union, its member states and international institutions.
Thematically, the institute is mainly involved in the conception and development of EU strategies in the fields of agriculture, food safety, climate change, digital economy, low-carbon economy and resource conservation. It develops economic models and applies them to produce short and medium-term forecasts. It maintains technical offices as switching points for the exchange of experience and the formation of consensus on demanding technical and economic issues. It also carries out cost-benefit analyzeson topics such as employment, the environment, competitiveness and security. To do this, it uses modeling methods and databases. The institute maintains several knowledge platforms to support decision-making processes in the fields of research and innovation.
The JRC-IPTS with around 280 employees (as of 2014) was founded in 1994. It is based in Seville and is directed by John Bensted-Smith.