LIMinal Project: A Roadmap for Future-Ready Public Administration

Dr Lina Klesper LL.M,

International Legal Assistant

PKF Malta

In an increasingly unpredictable world, governments are realizing that traditional, reactive methods of policy-making are no longer enough. As global challenges such as climate change, technological disruption, migration, and public health crises unfold, the need for proactive governance becomes urgent.  Anticipatory innovation governance (AIG) is emerging as a new approach to help governments prepare for future challenges by integrating strategic foresight into policy-making processes. The LIMinal Project, launched in February 2023, is at the forefront of this transformative shift, with the goal of embedding strategic foresight and anticipatory governance practices in Malta, Lithuania, and Italy. The 18-month, multi-country initiative funded by the European Commission with technical expertise from the OECD is not merely a national exercise confined to the three participating countries; it represents a shared European effort to rethink how governments can better respond to future disruptions by acting today.

At its core, AIG is about building the capabilities within governments to not only predict future challenges but to act on them in meaningful ways. As developed in the OECD Working Paper by Piret Tõnurist and Angela Hanson (2020), AIG provides the framework for ensuring that anticipatory practices are institutionalized, allowing public administrations to be agile, resilient, and prepared for the unknown. This form of governance aims to integrate tools like strategic foresight, horizon scanning, and scenario planning into the public sector, enabling governments to continuously generate and act upon insights about future developments. This is especially important in times of global crises—whether it’s a pandemic, climate change, or technological disruptions—that require governments to make rapid, informed decisions.

Malta’s commitment to AIG through the LIMinal Project comes at a critical time. As a small island nation, Malta faces unique challenges, including environmental vulnerability, demographic changes, and economic shifts in the post-COVID world. Its geographic size and population density mean that disruptions—whether they stem from climate change, migration, or global economic trends—can have outsized impacts on the country’s socio-economic fabric.

At present, much of Malta’s public administration still relies on traditional policy-making models, which often react to immediate problems rather than anticipate long-term challenges. The LIMinal Project presents an opportunity for the country to shift from short-term, reactive governance to a future-oriented, proactive stance. By embedding strategic foresight and anticipatory innovation into policy processes, Malta can ensure its public administration is more resilient and agile in facing future uncertainties.

The LIMinal Project has already made significant strides towards these goals. The initiative began with a fact-finding mission led by OECD experts, which included a detailed quantitative questionnaire and a qualitative survey to assess the current state of foresight practices in Malta’s public sector. Two pilot projects were also undertaken with key stakeholders from the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR) and the Ministry for Social Policy and Children’s Rights (MSPC), to explore how anticipatory innovation can be applied in real-world policy contexts.

In April 2024, a Maltese delegation visited Finland, one of the global leaders in anticipatory governance, for a study visit to learn from Finnish foresight experts. The visit allowed Maltese officials to engage with professionals from Finland’s Ministry of Finance, the Prime Minister’s Office, universities, and the Sitra Foundation, an NGO focused on futures studies. Finland has been a pioneer in AIG by embedding strategic foresight into key government institutions and their policy-making processes. Concrete areas where Finland has successfully applied AIG include integrating horizon scanning and trend analysis into national policy-making to address long-term challenges such as an ageing population. Finland has also used scenario planning to prepare for the impacts of climate change and digital transformation. Collaboration with stakeholders, including universities and the Sitra Foundation, has fostered futures literacy across sectors. Additionally, Finland has implemented training programs for public servants to apply foresight tools in daily decision-making, ensuring a culture of long-term thinking. Malta, through the LIMinal Project, alongside Lithuania and Italy, can learn from these practices.

In June 2024, the Coordination and Implementation Division of Malta’s public administration hosted a series of workshops to further develop the capabilities of its public servants in futures-thinking. These workshops featured international experts, including Dr. Peter Glenday from the International School of Futures, Dr. Olga Siemert from King’s College London, and Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, a renowned foresight consultant. Attendees, ranging from policy managers to senior public servants, were introduced to practical tools such as horizon scanning, trend analysis, and scenario planning, all of which are integral to strategic foresight and AIG.

Looking ahead, the LIMinal Project is scheduled to culminate with a final report and a closing conference in October 2024. This will be a pivotal moment, not only for Malta but also for the wider community of practitioners and policymakers across Europe. The final report will synthesize the project’s findings, offering insights into how strategic foresight and AIG have been successfully integrated—or where challenges remain. Key questions to consider are: Will Malta be able to institutionalize anticipatory governance as Finland has done? What practical outcomes can we expect from the two pilot projects undertaken by Malta's Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR) and the Ministry for Social Policy and Children’s Rights (MSPC)? How will the learnings from Malta, Italy and Lithuania inform future EU-level initiatives? These questions highlight the importance of the project's final phase and what could emerge as its lasting legacy.

The final conference will provide a platform for discussing these questions and more. It will also be an opportunity for Malta to showcase its journey toward becoming a more future-oriented, resilient nation, capable of addressing challenges before they escalate into crises. The presence of representatives from the European Commission, the OECD, and other member states will make this a significant event for public governance in Europe. Already now, the LIMinal Project stands as a cornerstone of its future-oriented governance strategy helping Malta build a public administration that is not just prepared for the future but is actively shaping it.