Dear Colleagues,

The Finland Futures Research Centre together with the Finnish National Board of Education, the Finland Futures Academy and Wanha Satama invite you to Helsinki,
1-3 October 2008 for a multidisciplinary conference on futures studies.

This will be the tenth international conference in a futures-oriented series arranged by the Finland Futures Research Centre. The theme this year covers the forms, structures and environments of education in the future, considered from the following five different perspectives: the physical, the local/global, the technical, the social and the didactic. The aim is to explore these themes as a dialogue between futures foresight and practical development work.

Conferences arranged by the Finland Futures Research Centre and the Finland Futures Academy gather experts and other interested parties to reflect upon issues relevant to future developments. Previous events have provided an important forum for discussing methodological considerations in futures studies, and "Grasping the Future: a Challenge for Learning and Innovation" continues in this tradition.

The conference will run over two and a half days, with keynote speeches, demonstrations, and presentations of research papers in workshops. All presentations will be solicited through an international call for papers. An international panel will review all paper and poster submissions prior to their being accepted.

I look forward to seeing you in Helsinki in October 2008!

Pirjo Ståhle
Conference Chair
Research Professor, Finland Futures Research Centre, Turku School of Economics