Italian Institute for the Future

What Italian Institute for the Future does

The Italian Institute for the Future (Fondazione IIF) is a non-profit foundation established in 2013 and headquartered in Naples, Italy, operating in research, training, consulting, and science communication on futures studies and strategic foresight. It is the Italian member of the World Futures Studies Federation and the Global Futures Society, and publishes the Italian edition of the Millennium Project's "Lo Stato del Futuro" report. The foundation serves large Italian and international enterprises (Allianz, AstraZeneca, Barilla, BPER, Burger King, Fideuram, Unipol, Zegna, Confindustria, OECD, among others), academic and research institutions, government bodies, foundations, and individual professionals seeking strategic foresight capabilities.

Its core technology consists of established futures studies methodologies packaged into four thematic "Hubs" — Megatrend (weak signals and wild cards), Foresight (scenario planning, Delphi methods, M\u0101noa Scenario Building, Futures Wheels), Futures Literacy (training and education), and Technology (emerging technology analysis) — integrated with the European Commission's Megatrends Implications Assessment Tool. Products include the quarterly FUTURI academic journal, the Lo Stato del Futuro Italian edition, annual and quarterly Megatrend reports, IIF Policy Papers, and a catalogue of books and speculative fiction anthologies.

Revenue is generated through five streams: publication sales (€2.99–€35), professional masterclass programs (€200–€590), conference and event tickets (€40–€125), tiered annual memberships (Basic, Advanced, Under-30), and enterprise consulting on megatrend analysis, scenario planning, and futures literacy. Distribution runs through direct e-commerce, Amazon.it, the FUTURI journal portal, in-person events in Naples and Milan, and active social channels. Core customers are large enterprises across insurance, pharmaceutical, banking, food, luxury, automotive, and public-sector categories.

Name

Italian Institute for the Future

Legal name

Italian Institute for the Future

Website

https://instituteforthefuture.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Italian Institute for the Future is a Naples-based non-profit foundation that conducts futures studies research, megatrend analysis, scenario planning, and strategic foresight consulting for large enterprises, institutions, and professionals across Italy and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Napoli, Campania

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Publications Sales: Sale of books, journals (FUTURI), reports, and policy papers including both physical and digital formats (PDF, ePub, Kindle). Price range from €2.99 to €35 for individual items.
2. Masterclass Programs: Professional training programs on foresight methodologies including courses on Scenario Planning, Future Thinking for climate adaptation, Future Food Design, and Communication. Pricing ranges from €200 to €590 per program.
3. Conference & Event Tickets: Annual Futures Studies Conference (Convegno di Futures Studies) tickets ranging from €40 to €125, with social dinner add-ons. Includes 1st International School of Futures Studies events.
4. Membership Fees: Tiered membership program (Basic, Advanced, Under-30) offering discounts on events and publications, with annual renewal structure.
5. Consulting Services: Strategic foresight and consulting services for corporate clients including megatrend analysis, scenario planning, and organizational futures literacy training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Italian Institute for the Future (Fondazione IIF) is a non-profit research foundation that delivers futures studies research, training, consulting, and dissemination through four thematic hubs (Megatrend, Foresight, Futures Literacy, Technology). It publishes the quarterly FUTURI journal, the Italian edition of the Millennium Project's State of the Future, megatrend reports and policy papers, and runs professional masterclasses and an annual conference for both corporate clients and individual members.

Product overview

The Italian Institute for the Future (Fondazione IIF) operates as a futures studies think tank and research organization offering a portfolio of educational and publishing products. The core offering consists of the quarterly FUTURI Journal and the Italian edition of the Millennium Project's Lo Stato del Futuro report. These are complemented by four thematic Hubs (Megatrend, Foresight, Futures Literacy, and Technology) providing systematic approaches to strategic forecasting. Add-on offerings include the Foresight Masterclass Series (offering specialized workshops on methodologies like Mānoa Scenario Building and Three Horizons), the Emerging Long-Term Megatrends annual report, Megatrends Quarterly Reports on specific themes, and IIF Policy Papers analyzing sector-specific futures. The institute also organizes the annual Convegno di Futures Studies conference and offers membership programs with tiered benefits. Publications like 'I futuri del digital marketing' and 'Segnali dal futuro' extend the reach into applied foresight and speculative fiction genres.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FUTURI Journal Quarterly peer-reviewed publication covering futures studies, megatrends, scenario planning and strategic foresight for academics, professionals and foresight practitioners.
• Lo Stato del Futuro (State of the Future) Italian edition of the Millennium Project's State of the Future report, providing comprehensive analysis of global challenges, AI governance and long-term futures scenarios.
• Foresight Masterclass Series Professional training workshops on scenario planning, Three Horizons, futures thinking for climate adaptation, Future Food Design and communication, taught by international experts for professionals and organizations.
• Emerging Long-Term Megatrends Report Annual analytical report tracking and analyzing major long-term megatrends shaping global futures for strategic decision-makers.
• Megatrends Quarterly Report Quarterly intelligence report providing in-depth analysis of specific megatrend themes including global inequalities, infrastructure and the future of work.
• IIF Policy Papers Strategic foresight publications analyzing sector-specific long-term futures, including the European automotive industry and schools of 2050, targeted at policymakers and industry leaders.
• Convegno di Futures Studies (Annual Conference) Annual national conference series bringing together futures studies scholars and practitioners to discuss emerging trends, methodologies and applications in strategic foresight.
• Membership Program Annual subscription program with Basic, Advanced and Under-30 tiers providing access to exclusive content, discounts on publications and masterclasses, and participation in IIF's professional community.
• Corporate Foresight Consulting Services Strategic foresight and consulting services for corporate clients including megatrend analysis, scenario planning and organizational futures literacy training.
• I futuri del digital marketing. Un'analisi di foresight Foresight analysis publication examining how digital marketing will evolve over the next 10 years in Italy, addressing AI's impact on communication, Metaverse opportunities and emerging platforms.
• I mondi di Westworld – Distopie tecnologiche e futuri sintetici Critical analysis of the Westworld TV series exploring technological dystopias, synthetic futures and philosophical implications of human-artificial boundaries.
• Immaginari del domani. Tra futures studies, semiotica e worldbuilding Academic publication exploring the intersection of futures studies, semiotics and worldbuilding methodologies for constructing meaningful future scenarios.
• Segnali dal futuro (Signals from the Future) Speculative fiction anthology featuring stories by prominent Italian science fiction writers alongside expert essays on future scenarios including AI, longevity, space expansion and technological unemployment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving major Italian and international corporations including insurance, pharmaceutical, banking, and luxury sectors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World Futures Studies FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian Institute for the Future is a member of the World Futures Studies Federation, a global network of futures studies professionals and organizations. This membership provides access to international foresight community and validates the organization's credibility in futures studies.
• Global Futures SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian Institute for the Future is a member of the Global Futures Society, an international network promoting futures studies and strategic foresight. This affiliation connects the organization with global futures studies initiatives and research.
• European Commission - Competence Center on ForesightcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIF uses the Megatrends Implications Assessment tool designed by the Competence Center on Foresight of the European Commission, demonstrating integration with EU-level foresight methodologies and frameworks.
• Millennium ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Italian Institute for the Future publishes the Italian edition of 'Lo Stato del Futuro' (State of the Future), the comprehensive global futures report produced by the Millennium Project. This includes the Italian translation of the Future Index and 15 Global Challenges analysis.
• Future of Life InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIF references and incorporates scenarios from the Future of Life Institute's international competition for beneficial AGI futures by 2045 in their publications, particularly in Lo Stato del Futuro 20.0.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Millennium Project: Global futures research organization producing the State of the Future report — IIF is the Italian edition publisher; both organizations share methodology, network, and audience overlap.
• Institute for the Future (IFTF): U.S.-based futures studies think tank founded in 1968 — direct functional peer offering foresight research, scenario planning, and futures literacy training to enterprises and governments. Most internationally recognized direct competitor to IIF.
• Futures Platform: Finnish SaaS platform for strategic foresight and scenario planning — a more technology-driven competitor that combines the research IIF produces with software delivery, threatening IIF's content-only model.
• Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies: Independent Danish futures research institute offering scenario analysis, megatrend research, and executive foresight training — directly comparable in mission and product mix to IIF, serving European enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey Global Institute: Research arm of McKinsey producing long-horizon research on global economic, technology, and demographic trends — broader and better-resourced incumbent offering foresight as part of a wider consulting portfolio.
• RAND Corporation: Large U.S.-based policy research nonprofit conducting long-term scenario analysis and strategic forecasting for governments — much larger scale and funding base, but comparable methodology and customer segment overlap in policy foresight.

Regional players

• Helsinki Futures Research Centre: University-based Finnish futures research center — academic peer with similar foresight methodology and educational programs but operating primarily in a Nordic/academic context rather than Italian enterprise market.
• Institute for Futures Studies (Stockholm): Swedish research institute conducting interdisciplinary futures research with an academic orientation — comparable in mission but government-funded and academic-focused rather than enterprise-serving like IIF.

Others

• World Futures Studies Federation: Global professional association for futures studies practitioners of which IIF is a member — an ecosystem organizer rather than direct competitor, but a relevant network for benchmarking methodology and credibility.

Emerging players

• Metafutures (Sohail Inayatullah): Educational and consulting practice led by Sohail Inayatullah, a featured IIF masterclass instructor — comparable foresight training offering but operating as an individual practitioner/educator brand rather than an institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/institutefuture
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@italianinstituteforthefutu6747
• Facebookfacebook.com/italianinstituteforthefuture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/italian-institute-for-the-future
• Instagraminstagram.com/italianinstituteforthefuture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Italian Institute for the Future