Futuring in Iran and Some Other Countries

Nowadays that science and technology is increasingly dominating every aspect of life and the convergence and synergy of different sciences is further accelerating this trend, hence, establishment of observatory centers of science and technology is widely spreading. This kind of observation, widely known as scouting and environmental scanning, consists of the systematic study and analysis of new (emerging) sciences and technologies which can have the highest effect on the policies and trends of an institution, organization or country. In this respect, observation of science and technology is similar to a radar showing the new, unexpected events of the world in a systematic and functional manner.
In the present article, reviewing the literature and theoretical foundations of futuring, the status quo of this discipline in Iran and a few selected countries of the world have been thoroughly examined in a documentary/comparative manner. Regarding Iran, the activities of relevant organizations have been collected by a self-expression method, while the data of other countries is gathered through literature review and comparative studies. Reviewing the status quo of Futures Studies in IRAN and a few selected other countries, the challenges of the Iranian futures studies have been examined and some recommendations have been suggested.