
COURSE OVERVIEW
This course introduces participants to future foresight and innovation concepts while tailoring the content to the UAE’s vision, initiatives, and strategic priorities. It explores the dynamic relationship between foresight and innovation and equips participants with tools and use cases to develop future-ready strategies.
Facilitator

Modafar Shaker Akhoirshieda
Foresight and Innovation Expert, Emkan Futures
Modafar Akhoirshieda is a seasoned strategist and innovation leader with over 20 years of experience driving transformative projects. Renowned for his analytical thinking, he collaborates with senior leaders to identify opportunities, shape decisions, and deliver impactful results.
Modafar’s passion for future foresight led him to establish the Future Shaping Center for a leading UAE entity. The center adopts global best practices in foresight, including trend monitoring, scenario development, and exploring long-term growth opportunities. Under his leadership, it empowers organizations to integrate foresight into operations, fostering a future-ready mindset.
As the founder of Emkan Futures, Modafar advances futures studies in the MENA region and enriches Arabic resources in this field. Emkan helps clients anticipate and prepare for emerging challenges and opportunities through tailored foresight strategies.
A frequent keynote speaker and panelist, Modafar is also the host of the Emkan Podcast, where he explores foresight and innovation with leading experts. Currently pursuing a doctorate in future thinking and innovation management, Modafar contributes cutting-edge insights to strategic foresight. With an M.Sc. in Wireless Communication Engineering and extensive professional accreditations, his work reflects a commitment to shaping a sustainable and prosperous future regionally and globally.
Pre-requisites
- No Prerequisites
Date
- 08 –10 December 2025
Time
- 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location
- Dubai Future Academy, 3D Printed Office
Target audience
- Everyone
Language
- Arabic
FEES
- AED 3,500
- Per Participant
COURSE OUTLINE
Day 1
- Welcome & Intro
- Intuition and Imagination
- Future Orientation – Future backwards
- Foresight Fundamentals #1: Foresight as a Practice
- Foresight Fundamentals #2: Develop a Foresight Mindset
- Scanning the Future
- Ways the Future Could be Different for Me\Us?
- Foresight Fundamentals #3: Terminologies, What does it mean: signals, drivers/trends
- Linking drivers and Signals
Day 2
- Drivers Mapping
- Foresight Fundamentals #4: The future is here!
- Signals and Consequences
- Alt Futures and Scenarios
Day 3
- Visioning exercise
- Foresight Fundamentals #5: From foresight to shaping the future.
- Roadmapping
- Foresight in Action
- How could you use it in your context?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the module, the candidates will be able to
- Identify the principles of future foresight and innovation and their strategic importance.
- Outline how foresight drives innovation by identifying trends and future opportunities.
- Describe how innovation fosters creative approaches to shaping and adapting to the future.
- Analyze UAE-specific indices like the Dubai Future Readiness Index and Innovation Readiness Index.
- Apply foresight and innovation tools to create actionable strategies for organizational future readiness.
Learning outcomes
- Explain the core principles of future foresight and innovation, and articulate their relevance to organizational growth.
- Identify and analyze emerging opportunities that demonstrate how foresight drives innovation
- Illustrate how innovation enables the development of new methods for envisioning and shaping future scenarios.
- Apply foresight and innovation tools to address specific organizational challenges, supported by real-world examples.
- Evaluate use cases illustrating the integration of foresight and innovation.
- Align strategies with UAE’s Dubai Future Readiness Index and Innovation Readiness Index.
AGENDA
Time | Sessions |
---|---|
9:00 – 9:15 |
Welcome & introduction |
9:15 – 10:30 |
Introduction to Foresight and Innovation Definitions and concepts of foresight and innovation. The dynamic interplay between foresight and innovation. |
10:30 – 10:45 |
Coffee break |
10:45 – 12:15 |
Future-Ready Organizations Characteristics of organizations that thrive in uncertainty. Case studies of global and UAE future-ready organizations. |
12:15 – 13:00 |
Lunch break |
13:00 – 14:30 |
UAE’s Vision and Strategic Priorities Overview of UAE’s national foresight and innovation strategies. Alignment with UAE Centennial 2071 and Dubai Future Agenda. |
14:30 – 14:45 |
Coffee break |
14:45 – 15:45 |
Interactive Session: Mapping Current Trends in the UAE Group activity: Identifying key trends and drivers of change. |
15:45 – 16:00 |
Recap and close |
Time | Sessions |
---|---|
9:00 – 9:15 |
Day 1 recap |
9:15 – 10:30 |
Tools for Foresight and Innovation Hands-on practice with foresight tools: STEEP/PESTLE analysis, Futures wheel. Introduction to innovation tools: Design thinking and Business model canvas. |
10:30 – 10:45 |
Coffee break |
10:45 – 12:15 |
Trend Analysis and Scenario Building Hands-on activity: Analyze trends and develop future scenarios for UAE sectors. |
12:15 – 13:00 |
Lunch break |
13:00 – 14:30 |
Scenario planning exercise – cont. |
14:30 – 14:45 |
Coffee break |
14:45 – 15:45 |
Dubai Future Readiness Index Overview of the index, KPIs, and practical applications. How organizations can align with Dubai’s future readiness framework. |
15:45 – 16:00 |
Recap and close |