Empowering Future Leaders
Our Mission
Futures Capacity Academy (UK) builds foresight capability for leaders across business, government and research—so you can navigate uncertainty, anticipate change and translate insight into action.
Grounded in the work of Dr Rafael Popper (Founder & Director): 25+ years of global practice • 100+ programmes delivered • 4,000+ professionals trained • internationally recognised frameworks used worldwide across strategic foresight, futures studies and innovation management.
What we do
We help organisations work with uncertainty through practical, participatory and decision-linked foresight.
- Executive Education — masterclasses and programmes that build real capacity
- Advisory & Strategy Support — foresight design, strategic options and roadmaps
- Facilitation & Coaching — offsites, alignment and decision support
- Speaking & Keynotes — frameworks and insights that move from futures to action
Why Futures Capacity Academy
We help organisations work with uncertainty through practical, participatory and decision-linked foresight.
- Framework-led and method-disciplined (not trend-led)
- Decision-linked outputs: options, roadmaps, governance and capability plans
- Tailored to your context: sector, time horizon, decision cycle and maturity
- Pedigree you can reference: 200+ research outputs and 70+ international projects
Programmes for leaders and teams
Choose a pathway based on your role and objectives—build foundations, deepen methodological practice, strengthen resilience, or move from scenarios to options and roadmaps.
- Core Capability — Foresight Fundamentals (SMART/SMARTER)
- Practitioner Skills — Methods Bootcamp; Wild Cards & Weak Signals
- Strategy & Leadership — Foresight in Action; Strategy Sprint (scenarios → options → roadmap)
- Sustainable & Disruptive Futures — SD-Growth and transition strategy
Frameworks that guide the work
Our programmes and advisory work are grounded in proven frameworks that help organisations design foresight well, select methods wisely and translate insight into action.
- Foresight Diamond — balancing evidence, expertise, interaction and creativity
- SMART / SMARTER — end-to-end foresight linked to decision cycles
- Wild Cards & Weak Signals — anticipatory intelligence for resilience
- SD-Growth Model — navigating sustainable disruptive growth and non-linear change
Our ecosystem
Futures Capacity Academy is strengthened by a wider ecosystem of practice, centres and partnerships—connecting executive education with applied delivery, research collaboration and international capability building.
- Applied delivery through Futures Diamond Ltd (UK)
- Centres for Foresight & Innovation (CFI network) to scale capability building
- Sustainability and transition practice through Green Iceberg (Poland)
- Academic leadership and networks that keep our work rigorous and current
Academic collaboration
Dr Rafael Popper supports universities and academic centres with executive education, teaching, curriculum design, supervision and partnership building. We welcome collaborations—especially where a strategic alliance or MOU enables shared capability-building products and programmes.
- Executive education design and delivery (in-person, online or blended)
- Curriculum and course creation/modernisation (PhD, MSc and undergraduate)
- Partnership building for international collaboration and funded programmes
- MSc/PhD supervision and academic mentoring
Insights and resources
Updates, highlights and curated references that underpin our programmes and advisory work—spanning foresight methodology, weak signals and resilience, capability building, and sustainable disruptive futures.
- News and highlights from projects, talks and partnerships
- Curated publications and flagship outputs by Dr. Popper and collaborators
- Practical perspectives on methods, governance and capability building
- Resources on request aligned to your sector and decision need
Connect with FCA
Start with an advisory clinic to sharpen your decision frame and agree next steps. Choose a 45-minute Foresight Triage Call or a 90-minute Executive Advisory Session—both supported by a short intake so the conversation is focused and valuable.
- Structured intake to clarify context and priorities
- Decision framing and options for next steps
- Action summary after the session (email or 1-page memo, depending on tier)
- Follow-on pathways: packages, retainers or tailored programmes
Trusted by leaders across sectors
Futures Capacity Academy’s work draws on Dr Rafael Popper’s 25+ years of delivery through academic appointments, international projects and professional roles. The organisations below reflect where he has contributed through teaching, advisory, facilitation, research and programme leadership across his affiliations. Inclusion indicates engagement and collaboration, not endorsement of Futures Capacity Academy unless explicitly stated.
European Commission • European Innovation Council (EIC) • ENISA (EU Agency for Cybersecurity) • UN bodies (incl. ECLAC, UNIDO, UNECE, ITU, UNDP,) • Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) • University of Manchester • University of Turku / Finland Futures Research Centre • Warsaw University of Technology • Bialystok University of Technology • Ramon Llull University (La Salle) • University of São Paulo • Universidad de la República (Uruguay) • University of Milano-Bicocca • VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland • Technology Partners Foundation (CFI-Poland) • Triple Helix Association • British Council • European Training Foundation (ETF) • National Research Council (CNR, Italy) • UK Centre for Workforce Intelligence / Department of Health • City of Ballarat (Australia) • EIT (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) • Joint Research Centre (JRC) • Fraunhofer ISI • INESC (Portugal) • Łukasiewicz Research Network (Poland) • Innobasque (Basque Country) • Seplat Energy • CAF (Development Bank of Latin America) • COLCIENCIAS (Colombia) • CONCYTEC (Peru) • SENA (Colombia) • Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile • Universidad de Santiago de Chile • Universidad del Valle (Colombia) • National University of Engineering (Peru) • College of Engineers (Peru)