The Scottish Parliament's think-tank

Beyond the electoral cycle

As the Scottish Parliament's think-tank, Scotland's Futures Forum works with Members of the Scottish Parliament to look beyond the electoral cycle and stimulate debate on the long-term challenges and opportunities that Scotland faces.

We host events, support research and encourage creative reflections on our shared future. Our work is designed to inform and provoke ideas about what we should be doing now to secure a positive future for all of Scotland.

Our work


Listen to a recent podcast

Festival of Politics: Data vultures destroying democracy - Podcasts By The Scottish Parliament

Our phones and laptops harvest information on everything from our habits to our likes and medical issues. Information is collected and shared without our awareness or permission by data gathering companies and so-called ‘data vultures’.  Who is regulating this mass surveillance and how can we protect our privacy and democracy from a trend that is undermining equality for all? Listen back to the Festival of Politics 2022 panel featuring Dr Sam Fowles, Prof Ewa Luger, and Prof Charles Raab.

Read our recent blogs

  • Why Scotland needs radical tax reform
    Blog by Alison Payne of Reform Scotland on Scotland's tax system and the report "Taxing Times: Why Scotland needs new, more and better taxes".
  • Highland Visual Arts in the 2040s: A Look Back
    A blog by artist and teacher Críostóir de Piondargás on Gaelic visual arts. Written originally in Gaelic for Seachdain na Gàidhlig in 2022, this blog imagines a successful sector in 2045.

Sign up to our mailing list

If you would like to be kept informed of the work Scotland’s Futures Forum, you can join our mailing list.

We use the mailing to send messages about upcoming events and other work that may be of interest. We send a couple of emails a month at most. We ask only for your name and email address, and we never share your information with anyone else.

If you would like to sign up, please email: ScotlandsFuturesForum@parliament.scot.