NETS is a collaboration between CSTI and the UK Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). It explores effective practices, tools and lessons learned for strategic and systematic analysis of emerging technologies. 

Executive Summary

This project delivers a practical Handbook to support policymakers and analysts in developing effective and systematic strategies for emerging technologies. It brings together lessons from past UK experience and international best practice to help navigate the complexity, uncertainty and time pressures that characterise emerging technology policy.

Drawing on in-depth analysis of UK quantum technologies and engineering biology over the past decade, as well as interviews with policymakers and key stakeholders, the Handbook provides a shared language, conceptual frameworks and a flexible, step-by-step process for strategic analysis. It supports evidence gathering, systems thinking and international benchmarking across different stages of technology development and the policy lifecycle.

Designed as a "living resource", the Handbook aims to institutionalise tacit knowledge, strengthen continuity across policy efforts, and enable more systematic, evidence-based national approaches to emerging technologies.

Its key contribution is providing clarity around key terms and a flexible and adaptable step-by-step process for undertaking strategic analysis of emerging technologies for policy. This is accompanied by academic and practitioner-based frameworks and tools that can help guide systematic analysis of emerging technologies.

A Short Guide summarises the proposed process, while conceptual underpinnings, templates and use cases are presented in more detail in the Handbook. An extended Glossary was also developed.

A Flexible Guide to Analysing Emerging Technologies

An adaptable six step process was developed for emerging technology policy analysis as shown in Figure 1. Each step and its key supporting frameworks and tools are summarised below. They are further detailed in the Handbook, which also provides example use cases and templates. The process can be summarised as:

1. Map and standardise terminology related to the emerging technology and its enabling technologies. The Technology 'Strata' System Framework can be used for this purpose.
2. Roadmap key bariers and opportunities along technology pathways towards applications
3. Identify strenghts and weaknesses, and benchmark internationally

Each step of the process can stand on its own or the steps can be sequenced in an order that is most useful for analysis. The sequencing is most likely to depend on the: 1) objective of the strategic analysis, 2) stage of technology development and 3) state of policy and evidence (see below for more detail on this point).

 Figure 1.   A flexible guide to analysing emerging technology policy