GESDA Science
Breakthrough Radar:
High-level Review

High-level Review 

Five years on from its inception, the GESDA Science Breakthrough Radar® has evolved into a mature and widely recognised instrument for anticipating future scientific breakthroughs that could have a transformative impact on people, society and the planet. At this pivotal moment in the Radar’s trajectory, the High-Level Review was established in 2025 to assess how far it has come, how well it fulfils its purpose, and how it might be further strengthened to maximise its relevance and impact in the years ahead. 

The Radar High-Level Review was undertaken by an independent panel of experts, composed of distinguished members of the scientific community, leaders from research institutions as well as from the private sector, and experts holding positions at the interface between science, science advice and society. This Committee was chaired by Professor Stephen Toope OC FRSC LLD, President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) – see below for the GESDA Science Breakthrough Radar High-Level Review Committee. 

Initiated in July 2025, the Review kicked-off its activities with a dedicated workshop at the 2025 GESDA Summit and culminated in a full Review Meeting in February 2026, focusing on five key dimensions of GESDA’s science anticipation work: 

1. Content – To what extent do the topics described in the Radar cover the most transformational areas of research, science and technology? 

2. Methodology – How effective is the science anticipation methodology as a mechanism for identifying future science and research breakthroughs? 

3.  Flexibility – How well does the Radar maintain flexibility to capture new ideas and pivots in research focus? 

4.  Structure and Format – To what extent do the structure and format of the Radar serve its purpose as a tool for representing and sharing anticipatory insights? 

5. Engagement – How effective is our strategy for engagement with the global research community in the context of the Radar? 

This resulted in a series of expert recommendations intended to guide and shape the future of the Radar and strengthen GESDA’s science anticipation work as a cornerstone of its mission. 

The GESDA Science Breakthrough Radar High-Level Review Committee 

• Stephen Toope – President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research; Chair of the Review Committee
• Anna Fontcuberta i Morral – President of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 
• Teruo Fujii – President of the University of Tokyo 
• Markus Gabriel – Professor and Chair in Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy, Director of the Center for Science and Thought, University of Bonn
• Anne Glover – Special Advisor to the Principal at the University of Strathclyde and President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
• Hiroaki Kitano – Executive Deputy President and Chief Technology Officer at Sony Group Corporation
• Lise Korsten – President of the African Academy of Sciences
• Alondra Nelson – Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study
• Carolina Torrealba Ruiz-Tagle – Vice-Rector Research of Andrés Bello University
• Patrick Verkooijen – CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation and Chancellor of the University of Nairobi