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Chronicles information and communication technologies (ICTs) – all electronic and digital means of capturing, processing, sharing, storing and retrieving information – are widely recognized as a catalyst in that evolution. States these technologies include broadcasting, transmission of speeches, data and images, through fixed, wireless and satellite networks.

A review of recent foresight exercises reveals some important drivers of research in Europe. In this editorial, we introduce five main areas where science and technology will be required to deliver tangible gains for society and the economy in the coming years. It is no longer enough for research agendas to be dictated by the supply of expertise from the science base. Increasingly, they must respond to social values like access and sustainability, and humanize the interface between technology and people.

This paper aims to identify the future trends in the agro‐food sector over the next two decades. Ten national technology foresight studies have been reviewed with the purpose of (i) envisaging the future socio‐economic and technology framework of the sector and (ii) highlighting major agro‐food technology clusters and their future application.

Modern health care presents challenges for science and technology that go well beyond surgical procedures and physiological monitoring. But although technology is making a rod for policymakers’ backs, it may also be throwing them a lifeline. The research focus is increasingly on information and communications technologies, which are opening up new possibilities in preventive health, self‐diagnosis and even remote surgery. For a public accustomed to paternalistic medicine, the redistribution of R&D resources may come as a shock – but Europe’s overstretched health services need more than sticking plaster solutions.