Our Research

Our research uses innovative methods and critical thinking from today to shape robust decisions for tomorrow.

Future scenarios for mental health support within the UK Armed Forces community
RAND Europe, in partnership with Combat Stress and funded by Forces in Mind Trust, investigated how trends and innovations may shape mental health needs and services for UK Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and families by 2045.
How Ignoring Non-AI Demand Risks the Electric Grid
Planning for uncertainty is key to building a resilient power grid—one that can keep up with both the rise of AI and the shift toward a decarbonized future.
Wargaming: The Surprisingly Effective Tool That Can Help Us Prepare for Modern Crises
By revealing gaps, stress points, and unexpected outcomes, wargaming can help decisionmakers plan and respond better when the real thing hits.
Trends in Focus 2025
RAND Europe, in its 2025 edition of Trends in Focus, highlights major trends shaping the policy landscape in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Harnessing the Power of Foresight: Designing EU Policies for Unpredictable Futures
Ursula von der Leyen's re-election as European Commission President brings new priorities, including infrastructure, defense, and housing. Maintaining foresight is key for effective long-term EU policymaking but its role remains uncertain.
Gender-responsive evaluation for an environmental and sustainable future for all (GREENA)
RAND Europe, in collaboration with PPMI, works to advance gender-responsive policymaking processes in the EU to achieve just and sustainable development for all.
Developing future scenarios for the sustainable use of pesticides
There is a complex landscape surrounding pesticide use, which needs to be addressed holistically across all contexts, including political, legal, economic, societal, technological and environmental. The inherent variation across regions must also be considered, in an increasingly globalised context.
Assessing labour market and skills demand via horizon scanning and future scenarios
A horizon scan of the UK labour market identified key drivers and emerging trends, and created scenarios of what the labour market could look like in the future. Researchers found that education and training systems need to teach broad concepts and foundation skills and that digital skills are critical to the future of most jobs.
Future uses of space out to 2050
To support the UK's National Space Strategy and ensure that it is more ‘future proof’, researchers recommend the UK work more closely with allies, foster innovation, and more.
UK strategy for the High North: Navigating a changing environment
Researchers offer a perspective on how the UK could maximise its influence in the High North through enhanced cooperation across government and within multilateral fora in order to tackle environmental and geopolitical changes in the region.
Why Did Nobody See It Coming? How Scenarios Can Help Us Prepare for the Future in an Uncertain World
Scenarios are a useful tool for informing policy, guiding strategies, and accommodating future change. Using scenario planning to target potential problems or areas for development and building resilience can pinpoint robust policies that could be viable across a range of future states.
European strategic autonomy in defence and implications for NATO, U.S., and EU relations
Researchers examined the meaning of European strategic autonomy in defence and its implications for the U.S., NATO and EU-U.S. relations using a scenario methodology and transatlantic expert consultation.
Tackling societal challenges and guiding the future of research and innovation in Norway
Researchers identified 20 priority missions and 10 structural measures that could help the Research Council of Norway to develop a strong and resilient research and innovation environment across a range of strategic areas.
Future scenarios of the Credit Information Market
Researchers identified four plausible scenarios of how the credit information market might develop in five to ten years’ time, as well as five key drivers of change.
How AI can support the European Border and Coast Guard
Three baseline gaps should be addressed to maximise the opportunities provided by artificial intelligence in European border security: knowledge gaps between stakeholder groups; organisational, structural, cultural and expertise gaps; and broader gaps in the evidence base.
Cyber Threats to NATO from a Multi-Domain Perspective
Fully understanding future cyber threats to NATO necessitates looking beyond trends in cyberspace and considering how these shape and are shaped by threats in or across other operational domains. How might adversaries employ cyber capabilities to gain an advantage over NATO forces?
The impact of new and emerging technologies on the cyber threat landscape and their implications for NATO
Using futures methods, researchers explore some of the key technology trends for the coming decade and their potential implications for the future cyber threat landscape and NATO. They also examine challenges that could emerge from individual technologies and complex interactions between them.
Technology and the future of cybercrime
To prepare for and mitigate the impact of emerging technologies on cybercrime, Estonia could consider broad anti-cybercrime capacity building; seek legal, regulatory and organisational agility; and invest in technological expertise, skills and research.
Using foresight to examine the global food system
On behalf of the UK Food Standards Agency, RAND Europe conducted foresight exercises to gain a long-term perspective on the global food system. The team used a three horizons framework and bespoke horizon scanning approach to identify threats and opportunities for the UK and wider global food system out to 2030.
Scenarios help explore the future of education and youth in the EU
Researchers developed a set of scenarios to explore the future of education and youth in the EU, and found that personalised learning policies could be helpful across all scenarios if funded sufficiently and targeted appropriately. Supporting and reinforcing the teaching profession is also key.
How Horizon Scanning Can Give the Military a Technological Edge
Horizon scanning could promote innovative practices and innovation uptake, through the adoption of new ideas, equipment, and methods, with benefits that could positively affect the UK economy as a whole. But a wider mechanism for processing and assessing the selected developments would be needed.
Violent Extremism Evaluation Measurement (VEEM) Framework
A key challenge in counter violent extremism evaluation is the lack of commonly agreed metrics to measure behavioural changes in people. RAND Europe researchers developed a web-based framework that lists behavioural categories, attributes, and suggested measurement tools.
Exploring Europe's defence capability requirements for 2035 and beyond
Researchers employed horizon scanning methodology to identify new and emerging technologies, strategies and societal developments that might affect capability requirements extending to 2035. The team also developed a range of scenarios used in the context of a table-top exercise analysing the capability implications of future conflicts and operations.
The future of Arctic cooperation in a changing strategic environment
The study examined factors that could potentially upset Arctic cooperation in the coming decade. Participants in a table-top exercise considered the reactions of stakeholders to successive events designed to trigger responses that ranged from low-intensity to potential conflict.
Using historical foresight to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Researchers are examining complex and enduring policy issues that have implications for public health (climate change and tobacco control) to gain a new perspective on how to tackle AMR. The team will look at how historical analysis can be used in future approaches to scenario planning and policymaking, with a particular focus on AMR policy.

Our Research

Future scenarios for mental health support within the UK Armed Forces community

How Ignoring Non-AI Demand Risks the Electric Grid

Wargaming: The Surprisingly Effective Tool That Can Help Us Prepare for Modern Crises

Trends in Focus 2025

Harnessing the Power of Foresight: Designing EU Policies for Unpredictable Futures

Gender-responsive evaluation for an environmental and sustainable future for all (GREENA)

Developing future scenarios for the sustainable use of pesticides

Assessing labour market and skills demand via horizon scanning and future scenarios

Future uses of space out to 2050

UK strategy for the High North: Navigating a changing environment

Why Did Nobody See It Coming? How Scenarios Can Help Us Prepare for the Future in an Uncertain World

European strategic autonomy in defence and implications for NATO, U.S., and EU relations

Tackling societal challenges and guiding the future of research and innovation in Norway

Future scenarios of the Credit Information Market

How AI can support the European Border and Coast Guard

Cyber Threats to NATO from a Multi-Domain Perspective

The impact of new and emerging technologies on the cyber threat landscape and their implications for NATO

Technology and the future of cybercrime

Using foresight to examine the global food system

Scenarios help explore the future of education and youth in the EU

How Horizon Scanning Can Give the Military a Technological Edge

Violent Extremism Evaluation Measurement (VEEM) Framework

Exploring Europe's defence capability requirements for 2035 and beyond

The future of Arctic cooperation in a changing strategic environment

Using historical foresight to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR)