TRENDS Research and Advisory has started the eighth year since its inception, and the third in the process of renewal and empowerment, with a global vision and a new slogan: “From Anticipating the Future to Participation in its Making”. Trends is thus continuing its research, scientific and knowledge journey with confident and steady steps towards helping shape the future through a new global strategy based on active participation and collaboration in advancing knowledge.

With its new slogan, TRENDS aims to shift from the stage of anticipating the future with knowledge to participating in its making through in-depth and accurate research and knowledge output that keeps pace with events, analyses international issues, as well as providing effective and applicable solutions, supporting decision-makers with scientific visions, and conducting forward-looking research and studies that contribute to creating a bright and prosperous future.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Ali: TRENDS aims to generate knowledge and develop creative ideas

On this occasion, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS for Research and Advisory, said that the adoption of the new slogan reflects TRENDS’ ambition to keep pace with the rapid changes and successive events taking place in the world, which require a proactive scientific research and forward-looking analysis of international crises, opportunities and challenges.

Al-Ali stressed that research centers and think tanks must play an important and pivotal role in today's world, not only by studying, analyzing and foreseeing social, political and economic phenomena, but also by participating in making the future by supporting decision and policy makers with innovative ideas and strategies that shape their future policies and orientations.

The CEO of TRENDS Research and Advisory indicated that TRENDS aims to build on generating knowledge by also enhancing its role in bringing about desired positive changes through the generation of creative and innovative ideas, in addition to distributing its research output among the largest possible audience worldwide.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Ali stated that TRENDS seeks to mainstream its research content to create a societal culture that is supportive of positive change on the one hand, and work to have a significant and influential return on its research in the decision- and policy-making processes on the other hand.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Ali: TRENDS seeks to mainstream the research content and support the culture of positive change

Al-Ali explained that, in its new global strategy, TRENDS will focus more on developing itself to become truly a center of change, by expanding its influence in the decision- and policy-making processes, in the field of generating creative ideas, and by expanding partnerships and coordination based on its activities both horizontally and vertically.

Dr. Mohammad Al-Ali pointed out that TRENDS is working hard to develop the capabilities of its researchers in a sustainable manner and to recruit distinguished people in all fields. It has also developed mechanisms for a dynamic and sustainable evaluation of its management style, the quality of its intellectual and scholarly output, and the extent of its application on the ground, an approach that TRENDS seeks to consolidate within the vision of a global goal of renewal and empowerment.

The CEO of TRENDS Research and Advisory added that the Center is well aware that living in an unstable world with increasing challenges, such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, makes it more necessary than ever for communication between think tanks and the civil society to bridge the gap between science, politics and daily life. This calls for another shift, namely the shift from strategic foresight to what has come to be called "participatory strategic foresight". In addition, the Center will focus on the promotion of innovative thinking that contributes to transforming public policy research from mere ideas to a tangible reality on the ground.