About Us
Futures News - The Futures Academy Newsletter
Clients
Over the past few years we have worked with a number public and private sector organisations on various scales of projects. Our main clients included:
- Urban Forum (Ireland)
- Dublin Chamber of Commerce (Ireland)
- Dept of Trade and Enterprise (Ireland)
- Vintners Federation of Ireland (Ireland)
- Institute of Public Administration (Ireland)
- Johnson Controls (UK)
- King Sturge (UK)
- Grosvenor Estates (UK)
- RICS Foundation (UK)
- Lincoln University (UK)
- Urban Land Institute (International)
- EDF (France)
- Bratislava City Council (Slovakia)
Clients' Testimonials
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"John Ratcliffe of DIT Futures Academy has assisted key business influencers in Dublin formulate realistic practical vision documents thereby focusing their energies and future proofing their policy and strategic decision. This equates for me to proper business planning thus maximising use of scarce human financial and physical resources for betterment of HK. As we endeavour to better position ourselves to capitalise on our creative Irish minds, the Futures Academy is an important resource for Ireland. We can all learn from a fresh perspective."
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Desmond C.W. Fahey
Dublin Business Innovation Centre |
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"John Ratcliffe gives much needed strategic foresight to the professions of the built environment. His scenario planning work, in particular, provides invaluable insights for all those wishing to explore the future of cities and the prospects for urban development. Indeed, his 'imagineering' approach and the visioning processes he employs, are of benefit to all businesses in future-proofing their present policies. I commend him highly as a thinker, speaker and facilitator."
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"John Ratcliffe of DIT Futures Academy has assisted key business influencers in Dublin formulate realistic practical vision documents thereby focusing their energies and future proofing their policy and strategic decision. This equates for me to proper business planning thus maximising use of scarce human financial and physical resources for betterment of HK. As we endeavour to better position ourselves to capitalise on our creative Irish minds, the Futures Academy is an important resource for Ireland. We can all learn from a fresh perspective."
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Stuart Lipton
Chelsfield Advisers LLP |
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"In 2005 the Dublin Futures Academy worked with the University of Lincoln and partners in a city coping with dramatic change to develop a bold vision of Lincoln in the future. Lincoln 2020 is one shared vision for a 'great small city in 2020'. It has transformed our collective imagination and aspiration at all levels in the Lincoln community."
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"I have known John Ratcliffe for forty years from student to client. As his student he introduced me to the traditional planning process and more recently as his client he has transformed that thinking through imagineering and futures planning. He has a unique capacity to create a shared and bold vision for city, business or university from a disparate group of individuals."
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Professor David Chiddick
Vice-Chancellor, University of Lincoln |
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"During my time as President of Dublin Chamber of Commerce I used the services of the Futures academy led by John Ratcliffe. The results from this project laid the template for a 2020Vision of Dublin which has now become the strategic aim of the Chamber and is encompassed in all Dublin Chamber workings. The approach and structure in developing the strategy led by John was unique.
He was instrumental in attaining the result that we arrived at. I fully recommend Futures institute and John Ratcliffe." |
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David J Pierce
Past president, Dublin Chamber of Commerce Director Corporate Markets - Sales, Ulster Bank Group |
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"I am very lucky to be fully informed of the excellent work of the Futures Academy at DIT and the close association with Professor John Ratcliff who is an outstanding academic and a world leading expert on scenario planning and foresight issues."
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Professor Ghassan Aouad
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, University of Salford |
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"The Futures Academy is unique in Ireland: if it didn’t exist somebody would have to invent it! Through its creative exploration of future trends shaping our country, combined with the rigorous application of futures techniques, The Futures Academy has already made a powerful contribution to Irish policy debates in a very short period of time. It brings a fresh approach to thinking about the future that is far removed from the ‘one true path’, economistic analyses that characterize what little thinking there has been about our collective destiny. The Futures Academy will continue to play a much needed, catalytic role in challenging existing ‘futures orthodoxies’ in Ireland."
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"John Ratcliffe has a futurist’s DNA. He combines the foresight of an architect with the acumen of a business man, all fused with the passion of an educator and the energy of a visionary. John has single-handedly lead the development of applied futures in Ireland, through his work at DIT and at The Futures Academy. John’s perspectives and insights have been welcomed and valued not just by Irish audiences but also by international clients in the commercial and non-commercial spheres. Crucially, John has not set out to do this alone, rather he has built a team of like-minded, passionate specialists in the Academy and in the wider futures community in Ireland. His writings and speeches continue to inspire all of us concerned with Ireland’s future direction."
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Gerard O'Neill
Chairman, Amárach Research |
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"I have worked with John over many years and have found his ability to combine Cities, Property and Futures hugely valuable in an industry which tends to be focused on the short term. John has a practical and grounded approach to connecting wider longer term thinking with real business issues and the art of the possible with the challenges of the probable. Futures thinking and scenario building has developed from a slightly off beat management training tool into a must have basis for much business planning and product development and in my field of property and cities, John and the Futures academy have been at the heart of it."
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Rosemary Feenan
International Director, Global Research Programme, Jones Lang LaSalle |
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"The Futures Academy - exploring, extending and examining our understanding of what ‘might be’ with knowledge and authority. Fortunately the Academy couples this with an ability to communicate complex ideas with simplicity. It’s exactly what the world needs right now!"
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"John Ratcliffe brings an extraordinary ability to communicate on the subject of human futures with a rare understanding of what makes business work, based on personal experience. He helps to set the strategy for human endeavour."
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Professor Peter Brandon
Director, Think Lab, University of Salford |
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