Mega trends are large-scale developments that penetrate into different realms of human existence. Analyzing megatrends can be a tool for understanding and shaping the future, as outlined in “Megatrends Research” by Harry Gatterer and Prof. Stefan Tewes.

In a world of ever-increasing complexity, the future appears non-linear: our living conditions, political systems, and economies can change drastically, unexpectedly, and rapidly. Technological advances like generative AI, threats like pandemics, and opportunities like new work culture can lead us to unexpected places, to changes in our lifestyles that are so different that they might be considered revolutionary.

This is echoed in a recent interview Yuval Noah Harari gave Stephen Colbert on accelerated change, stating that: “It’s the first time in human history no one has any idea how the future will look like in 20 years.” After saying that: “…every generation thinks that but this time it's true.”

How can we navigate this increased possibility space and be prepared for the increased complexity of a non-linear future? How can we move from reacting to an unknown, unexpected future that happens to us to an active design of a future? To adapt to future challenges and recognize future opportunities, we must transfer systemic thinking to systemic acting:

• Recognizing new Boundaries we can cross

• Identifying scarcities of resources

• Understanding desires and unmet needs

Megatrends, long-term, ubiquitous, and impactful development can help us towards a systemic understanding and an action plan. The pharma and biotech industries in particular deal with human health at its core and are at once highly dependent on innovation and highly regulated – both in the sake of saving human lives. A new set of technologies is now moving the borders in biotechnology:

• Prediction of future health states based on genes and other biomarkers

• Cures for genetic diseases by gene editing technologies

• Replacement or enhancement of human sensory, motor, or cognitive function by neuroprosthetics and brain-machine interfaces

The challenges that lie ahead include:

• Empowering individuals to understand their (risk of) diseases and take the right measures

• Making healthcare more equal between men and women, groups of different ancestries and socioeconomic status, and between the global North and South

• Increasing the healthy lifespan

• Expanding the horizon of what it means to be human

Together, these technologies could help the industry to:

• Empower individuals to understand their (risk of) diseases and take the right measures

• Increase preparedness for pandemic threats

• Make healthcare more equal between men and women, groups of different ancestries and socioeconomic status, and between the global North and South

• Increase the healthy lifespan

• Expand the horizon of what it means to be human

But scientists, entrepreneurs, regulators, politicians, and non-governmental organizations will have to watch the movement of such trends closely to steer them away from negative outcomes and unintended consequences. We don’t know how the future will look in 20, maybe even in 10 years. But with the right tools and mindset, we will not only adapt to what is happening but actively shape the future of an industry that is so closely entangled with the well-being of humanity.