PORTRAIT ABOUT W.I.R.E. W.I.R.E. is one of Europe`s

W.I.R.E.
T HI N K TA N K F O R B U S I N E S S , S C I E N C E & S O C I E T Y
E NAB L I N G T H E F U T U R E I N A D I G I TA L AG E
INITIAL SITUATION
With increasing life expectancy, rapid technological progress and
increasing globalisation, environmental conditions are changing for business,
science and society. Our private and working lives are shaped by ever faster,
radical transformations – change is becoming the norm.
CHANGED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
This opens up new creative opportunities. At the same time, however,
decision-making complexity is increasing. The basic principles of the digital
world call for new thinking, new models for analysing the future and a
broader conception of innovation.
CORE FIELDS OF AC TION
MORE CRE ATIVE SPACE –
INCRE A SING COMPLE XIT Y
RE THINKING WAYS
TO ANALYSE THE FUTURE
NE W MARKE T S –
DIFFERENT GAME RULE S
DEFINING INNOVATION
BE YOND TECHNOLOGY
Technological advances are spreading with ever increasing speed.
Although the rising volume of data is opening up opportunities for
economic growth, research quality and social exchange, decision-making
complexity is growing as a result. Linear conceptual models and
traditional planning models are falling short of requirements.
Consequences of accelerated change are uncertainty and a tendency
towards short-term thinking and action.
Digitalisation is leading to fundamental changes and the disruption
of markets, institutions and networks. New environmental conditions
and maxims are therefore arising for companies, universities and public agencies,
based on altered needs and business models.
MORE EFFICIENCY –
INCRE A SING STANDARDISATION
The use of algorithms and robots is creating a basis for automation,
which increases efficiency, safety, security and the personalisation
of services and products. At the same time, however, processes are becoming
more standardised. This is leading to a decline in differentiation and
consequently a deterioration in the innovativeness of companies and society.
More flexibility is needed in an environment of rapid change.
Fixed organisational structures, static infrastructure and the rigid
application of rules are obstacles here. At the same time, however, change
also needs to be closely examined. Resilience and robustness become
further prerequisites for future viability. The foundations here are critical analysis
of the dominant trends and creation of a culture of error in organisations and society.
Technologies are drivers of innovation. However, these are embedded
in the “operating system” of markets and society. To be sustainable,
innovation has to aim beyond technology to the external environmental
conditions. Doing so means developing new business models that consider
the future value to customers and designing social structures as the basis
of economic growth and social stability.
RECOGNISING CHANGE S E ARLY
AND DEFINING GUIDING PRINCIPLE S
In a world of highly dynamic change and rising complexity, early
and systematic analysis of new developments is becoming a prerequisite
for future-proof organisations and structures. Instead of static forecasts,
guiding principles incorporating long-term goals are needed as the basis
for shaping the future.
MISSION AND SER VICE S OF W.I.R .E. THINK TANK
W.I.R.E. promotes the future viability of business, science and society with
a wide array of services. The spectrum encompasses the systematic early
recognition of relevant trends, critical analysis and adaptation of strategies
and the implementation of concrete projects relating to holistic innovation
development.
W.I.R.E. transfers knowledge, stimulates and inspires in publications
and events. W.I.R.E. operates at the interface between academia and practical
application, taking a distinctive long-term approach in its thinking.
SER VICE S
SYSTEMATIC E ARLY
RECOGNITION AND
CL A SSIFIC ATION OF TRENDS
TR ANSFERRING
KNOWLEDGE IN NE W AND
INSPIR ATIONAL WAYS
W.I.R.E. implements continuous monitoring
of relevant known and unknown developments
with quantitative and qualitative survey methods.
Evaluation and classification of the signals into
macro-trends for different sectors and target groups
flows from this work.
W.I.R.E. is noted for the design of
BUSI N E SS
CRITIC ALLY CHALLENGING
AND DE VELOPING
LONG -TERM STR ATEGIE S
extraordinary paper-based and experiencebased knowledge transfer products – from
studies and books through apps to events,
keynote speeches and exhibitions.
SC I EN C E
PROMOTING HOLISTIC
INNOVATION
W.I.R.E. develops innovative services and
W. I . R . E .
Based on the insights from its early recognition
work, W.I.R.E. deducts medium- to long-term goals,
supports strategic processes and acts as a sparring
partner for senior executive and top management
levels in critically challenging existing approaches.
THINK
CRITIC ALLY
SOC I E T Y
SHAPE
THE FUTURE
MISSION
products in the context of digitalisation and
supports companies in developing business models,
opening up new markets and promoting social
innovation.
CRE ATE
INTERFACE S
PRE SER VE
DIVER SIT Y
PROD UC T S
INDUSTRIE S & COOPER ATION PAR TNER S
S
W.I.R.E. places its services at the disposal of selected cooperation partners and patrons from business, science and society
and generates bespoke insights, ideas and problem-solving approaches for them.
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The Collegium Helveticum of the ETH Zurich and University of Zurich
NZZ Libro
Suhrkamp Verlag
Stockholm School of Economics /Entrepreneurship
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COOPER ATION PAR TNER S
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Mediating between design, art
and enterprise
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Identifying and preparing content
for topic-oriented marketing
D
Giving keynote speeches
E
Setting up bespoke think tanks (labs)
for public agencies and companies
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FO O
U NN PR
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A OF
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FO
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Conception and implementation
of exhibitions and pop-up projects
Developing a paper-based and
experience-based information
architecture for internal and external
knowledge transfer
C
Visualising content in infographics
TI
Conducting idea workshops
for product innovation and other
purposes
IS
Challenging existing objectives
as a sparring partner for senior
executive and top management levels
Conception and design of studies,
books and posters as well as digital
formats such as apps and blogs
G
Defining visions and guiding
principles based on the
“DNA” of organisations and cities
Organising salon discussions,
conferences and knowledge
speed-dating sessions
LO
Developing strategic analyses
and innovation processes
and supporting consultancy
assignments in the context
of digitalisation
TOPIC S
D I G I TA L I S AT I O N
OF BUSINESS, SCIENCE
AND SOCIE T Y
USER- ORIENTED
AND SOCIAL
I N N O VAT I O N
H E A LT H , M E D I C I N E
AND DEMOGR APHIC
CHANGE
LO N G - T E R M
PLANNING AND
FUTURE VIABILIT Y
Digitalisation has transformed business, science and society
in the last twenty years. High-performance algorithms promise to combine data intelligently and thereby generate improved bases for decision making.
Innovation is considered to be the basic prerequisite for economic growth and prosperity. Progress in medical technology
has increased our life expectancy, digitalisation has democratised knowledge and new production methods promise a new
industrial revolution. That said, many supposed break-throughs
turn out to be pseudo-innovations.
Paralleling the heightened awareness of a healthy lifestyle, the
healthcare market in most industrialised countries has grown
into one of the largest sectors of our national economies.
However, the long-awaited break-through of therapies that
treat causes rather than symptoms has not yet materialised.
Long-term thinking and action is considered to be a basic prerequisite in the business and political arenas of today. However,
this creates two central problems: firstly, the future cannot be
predicted with certainty as a rule. And secondly, it is not in human nature to plan further ahead than the view of the immediate future permits.
W.I.R.E. examines the potential and risks of the data-based
world and identifies areas of application where these technologies can deliver value. The aim here is to understand the effects of digitalisation on new markets, business models and
society and deduce consequences. W.I.R.E. determines which
decisions can be outsourced to algorithms, what competences should remain in human hands and what demands on education and corporate organisation will arise as a result.
W.I.R.E. engages with long-term developments in the healthW.I.R.E. pursues a holistic approach to innovation, which not
only promotes technological innovation, but also targets the
creation of social value added. With this extended definition
of Corporate Social Responsibility, companies take both the
economic and the social value of their products into account
in order to promote an operating environment that will remain stable in the long term.
care system, new players in the market and the growing importance of preventive medicine as well as digital, data-based
medicine. W.I.R.E. analyses what a viable healthcare system
for the future should look like, how patients can receive holistic care, how players from industry and medicine can adapt to
the new environment and what demands on society arise
from digitalised medicine.
Against this background, W.I.R.E . uses iterative planning models that allow long-term projects to be adapted in the course of
their development. This requires a departure from traditional
multi-year project plans and gives even more weight to the
determination of long-term goals and guiding principles.
Their implementation, in turn, calls for agile forms of planning that respond continuously to changing environmental
conditions.
IMPRE SSIONS OF SELEC TED PROJEC T S
W.I.R.E. designs extraordinary document- and
W.I.R.E. ’s publications, infographics and posters
W.I.R.E. communicates new insights from academia and
experience-based knowledge transfer formats and designs
for work and exhibition spaces.
combine in-depth content with outstanding quality of
aesthetics and design.
practical application in bespoke presentations and events for
clients and partners and in its own event formats.
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ABSTRAKT
N O7
ABSTRAKT
ABSTRAKT
TA S CHENL A BOR FÜR Z UK UNF T SFR AGEN
TA S CHENL A BOR FÜR Z UK UNF T SFR AGEN
EVO LU TI O N
Taschenlabor für Zukunftsfragen
DIE ZUKUNFT
ABWEHR
IST UNSER
SZE N A R I E N F Ü R D E N M E N S C H E N D E R ZU KU N F T
18
SZENARIEN FÜR DEN ALLTAG
VON ÜBERMORGEN
Ü B E R L E B E N SS TA RT E G I E N I M
2 1 . JA H R H U N D E RT
Taschenlabor für Zukunftsfragen
Taschenlabor für Zukunftsfragen
FÜR
IMMER
TRANSFORMING
TRANSPORT
ZUR VISION EINER INTELLIGENTEN MOBILITÄT
ZUR KUNST DER LANGLEBIGKEIT
UND GE SCH ICHTEN ÜBER MAS SGE SCHNEI DERTE RAKETEN ,
E S SB ARE B AT TER I EN UND DAS DORF DE S VERGE S SENS
UND GE SCH ICHTEN ÜBER DI E T OP OGRAFI E DE S WOHL S TAND S,
SPION I ERENDE S TEI NE UND XY-M I LLIONÄRE
14
W.I.R.E.
V ER L AG
NEUE ZÜRCHER Z EI T UNG
T HI N K TA N K F O R B U S I N E S S , S C I E N C E & S O C I E T Y
VERLAG
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEI TUNG
—
VERLAG
E NAB LZEI
I N G TUNG
THE FUTURE
NEUE ZÜRCHER
I N A D I G I TA L AG E
19
Verlag
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
DER ANALOGE BLOG
POLI T IK
D R O H N E N S I C H E R E S TÄ D T E
de.scribd.com/doc/104135119/An-Architectural-Defense-From-Drones
02
Im Zeitalter der zunehmend automatisierten Kriegsführung fühlen sich angesichts der vielen Konfliktherde, in die
ihr Land involviert ist, immer mehr US-Bürger selbst in ihrer Heimatstadt nicht mehr sicher. Mit dem Projekt «Shura
City» schlägt der Architekt Asher J. Kohn deshalb nun ein
Konzept zum Schutz vor Drohnenangriffen vor. Um Zielobjekte zuverlässig zu identifizieren, brauchen die unbemannten, ferngesteuerten Flugobjekte nämlich konkrete
Bild-, Ton- oder auch Temperaturdaten. Das Stadtmodell
basiert folglich auf der Idee eines architektonischen Umfelds, das den Zugang zu eindeutigen Informationen verhindert – eine Art Black Box, die für das Data-Mining der
Militärs uneinsehbar wäre, ihre Bewohner aber nicht einsperrt. Allerdings sähe die drohnensichere Stadt deutlich
anders aus als unsere heutigen Städte: Am äusseren Stadtrand würden Betonwände für visuelle Abschirmung sorgen. Eine gitterartige Decke, die die ganze Stadt überzieht,
würde die Zielerkennung weiter erschweren – durch für
Drohnen verwirrenden Schattenwurf und verschiedenfarbige Mosaikverglasungen zur Farbverfälschung; wie eine
schillernde Burka für die ganze Stadt. Da Drohnen bei
schlechter Sicht auf Wärmesignale angewiesen sind, um
ihre Ziele zu lokalisieren, würden sie zudem durch ein
intelligentes Ventilationssystem im Inneren der Gebäude
irritiert. Dieses würde in der gesamten Stadt für eine ähnliche Temperatur sorgen, die die Hitzesignatur von Menschenansammlungen verschwinden lässt. Sicher würde man
sich da also vermutlich fühlen. Aber cooler wohl nicht unbedingt.
158
02 Exhibition
Vögele Kultur Zentrum
DEFENCE: survival strategies
in nature, business, politics
and everyday life
04 Staging of W.I.R .E. Salon
SKILL SHIF T
05 Exhibition
THE FUTURE IS OUR S
In cooperation with Swiss Re,
Halter, ewz, Julius Baer, City of Zurich
10
04
01 W.I.R .E. Office
03 Pop-up restaurant
GA STHAUS ZUM
ÜBERMORGEN
In cooperation with SV Group
UND GE S CH ICH T EN ÜBER DIE M ACH T D ER GECKOFÜS SE,
AN T IS CHN ARCHBÄR EN UND D EN T R AUM ALLER F OR S CHER
UND GE S CH ICH T EN ÜBER FIN AN ZM AR K T ÖKOL O GIE,
SPR ECHENDE H ANDSCHUHE
UND DEN FAHR S T UHL Z UM MOND
SPATIAL DE SIGN
20
PUBLICATIONS / DESIGN
15
06 ABSTR AK T
Pocket Laboratory for the Future
Neue Zürcher Zeitung Publishing
11
NICHOL A S BOR NS T EIN | S T E FAN PA B S T | S T EP H AN SIGR IS T
07
Z UR BED EU T UNG VON
S OZ I ALER INNOVAT ION
IN W IS SENS CH AF T
UND P R A XIS
21
08 HACKING HE ALTHC ARE
Understanding and rethinking health
in the 21st century
Neue Zürcher Zeitung Publishing
W E SH ALB S OZ I ALE INNOVAT IONEN
IN GE SELL S CH AF T UND W IRT S CH AF T W ICH T IGER W ER D EN
UND W IE D ER SNF DA Z U BEI T R AGEN K ANN,
DA S T HEM A IN D ER S CHW EI Z Z U P O SI T IONIER EN.
16
03
08
12
22
05
09 DOMINO
Handbook for a sustainable world
Neue Zürcher Zeitung Publishing
Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch
10 MIND THE FUTURE
Compendium of contemporary trends
Neue Zürcher Zeitung Publishing
17
09
07 WHAT COUNT S
Suhrkamp Verlag
(in German)
23
11 Contract studies
For Swiss National Science Foundation,
City of Zug, Savida AG et al.
12 Posters and infographics
EVENTS / KEYNOTES / MEDIA
WORKSHOP S
13 W.I.R .E. Salon
STR ATEGIE S F OR
MORE RE SILIENCE IN
BUSINE SS AND SOCIE T Y
14 Warp Conference
21st CENTURY SKILL S
London, in cooperation
with the Swiss Embassy
15 Warp Conference
THE FUTURE OF DE ATH
Stockholm, in cooperation Konstfack
and the Palliative Research Centre
16 Warp Conference
CHANGE COUR SE
In cooperation with the Club of Rome
17 Warp Conference
SUSTAINABILIT Y IS DE AD.
LONG LIVE SUSTAINABILIT Y!
Berlin, in cooperation
with the Swiss Embassy
18 Warp Conference
INVENTING A TRULY SMAR T CIT Y
New York, in cooperation with the ETH
Zurich, Kickstarter, Google Creative Labs,
Parsons Design School, Environmental
Health Clinic
19 Keynote
20 Facilitation, keynote
DE SIGN TALK S
Reykjavik, with Calvin Klein,
Robert Wong; Google Creative Lab NY
and Mikael Schiller; Chairman Acne
21 Interview with Stephan Sigrist in
“Aeschbacher” TV broadcast, SRF
22 Appearance by Stephan Sigrist
in“Sternstunde Philosophie“
TV broadcast, SRF
23 Idea Workshop
W.I.R .E . I N A N UT SHELL
INTERFACE BE T WEEN SCIENCE,
BUSINESS AND SOCIE T Y
CRITIC AL THINKING
AND POLITICAL NEUTRALIT Y
W.I.R.E. acts as an interface between academia and practical
application, linking institutions from different sectors that are
considering the same key future topics from different perspectives. The think tank boasts an international network of
thought leaders and decision makers, practitioners and entrepreneurs and offers services that complement those of existing think tanks, universities and consultancy firms.
W.I.R.E. ’s open but critical position marks it as different. The
C O R E C O M P E T E N C E S I N D I G I TA L I S AT I O N
A N D S O C I A L I N N O VAT I O N
CONNEC TING CONTENT
AND FORM
W.I.R.E. has years of expertise in digitalisation and engages
W.I.R.E. achieves differentiation in its publications, events and
theoretically and practically with the consequences of virtualisation, automation and big data. Its work in this field supports
a variety of institutions, from pharma companies, financial
services providers and media houses to municipal authorities.
W.I.R.E. also considers itself to be a platform for social innovation, which not only fosters new technological developments
but also deliberately aims to create social value added.
exhibitions by systematically harmonising form with content.
Its central goal here is to create extraordinary products, services and experiences at the interface of design and art.
E A R LY T R E N D I D E N T I F I C AT I O N
T R A N S L AT E D I N TO S T R AT E G I E S
W.I.R.E. systematically identifies and assesses new develop-
ments in technology, society and demographics. This enables
it to provide orientation and support strategy development by
senior executive and top management levels as well as decision-making bodies. At the same time, W.I.R.E. stimulates the
creation of innovative products and services that focus on the
users‘ future needs.
think tank explores established points of view and analyses the
background of developments and their consequences for business, science and society impartially on the basis of logical arguments, detached from dominant trends or political majorities. In this role, W.I.R.E. acts as a sparring partner for decision
makers who are actively confronting new, long-term trends.
LO N G - T E R M O R I E N TAT I O N A N D
SHAPING THE FUTURE
W.I.R.E. does not see itself as a forecasting institute or the fu-
ture as the outcome of fate. The think tank‘s mission is to help
future-proof business, science and society. W.I.R.E. goes up
against the trend towards ever-increasing assimilation and directs the spotlight onto fostering diversity and innovativeness
for institutions and business centres.
W.I.R .E . is one of Europe’s leading interdisciplinary think tanks. In ten years of engaging with
global trends in business, science and society, the Swiss idea laboratory has focused on identifying
new trends early and translating them into strategies and areas for action by private companies
and public institutions. At the interface between academia and practical application, W. I. R .E. ’s
critical mindset and political neutrality mark it as distinctive. Its key topics are the digital economy, social innovation and future-proofing. The think tank places its expertise at the service of the
general public, private enterprise and public agencies, in fields ranging from life science, financial services and media to food and industry. W. I. R . E . ’s document- and experience-based knowledge transfer formats are notable for their harmony of form and content and the outstanding
quality of their aesthetics and design. In addition to its partnership with the Collegium Helveticum
of the ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, W. I. R . E . boasts an international network of experts, thought leaders and decision makers.
W . I . R . E . A R C H I V E S – F R E E A C C E S S TO W . I . R . E .’ S P U B L I C AT I O N S W I T H T H E A P P F O R i P H O N E A N D i PA D
www.thewire.ch
[email protected]
+41 (0) 43 244 99 77
Cramerstrasse 16, 8004 Zurich