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The final of the ninth season of Science Battles, themed ‘Beyond the Realm of Possibility,’ took place at the HSE Cultural Centre in late September. Researchers presented four projects. Each speaker had ten minutes to deliver their presentation, after which they answered questions from the jury and the audience. The speakers explored the boundaries between humans and artificial intelligence, digital platforms and their users, the state and social infrastructure, as well as the distinction between how society defines an individual and how that individual defines themselves.

Experts HSE ISSEK Foresight Centre introduced approaches to long-term forecasting and iFORA AI-platform capabilities to the Department of Finance for the Government of Dubai representatives. The parties discussed Foresight methods and big data analysis application to strategic planning in financial sector.

In mid-September 2026, UNESCO held an online seminar entitled ‘Quantum Science and the Future of Quantum Technologies.’ During a panel discussion, Alexander Sokolov, Director of the International Research and Educational Foresight Centre at the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) and Chair of the UNESCO Chair on Future Studies at HSE University, presented the results of ISSEK’s Quantum Leap foresight study to international experts.

The HSE University Foresight Centre and AI and Digital Science Institute held a roundtable "How Work Is Changing in the AI ​​Era: Insights from Business, Academia, and Public Sector." Representatives from business community and experts discussed the role of leadership in integrating AI into business processes, limits of trust regarding autonomous decisions made by AI agents, reasons why pilot projects often fail to reach full-scale implementation, and how to fairly evaluate the work of employees whose productivity has increased through the use of AI.

HSE University researchers will take part in a study of the future of engineering education in Malaysia, while the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) will use the iFORA big-data analysis system to validate the findings of its foresight research. These are the outcomes of a visit by HSE representatives to Kuala Lumpur.

The HSE University Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) has analyzed how research agenda of AI and data has evolved since 2010 and which areas form its core.

Using big data mining system iFORA, the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) has identified the key global scientific topics for 2025, along with associated promising technologies and products.

Beyond technological solutions, the development of anthropomorphic robotics also demands ethical ones. In July 2026, the HSE Institute for Robotics Systems hosted a foresight session dedicated to developing an Ethical Standard for Anthropomorphic Robotic Complexes. Representatives from businesses, government bodies, scientific organisations, and universities gathered to discuss key ethical and legal issues surrounding the development of anthropomorphic robotic complexes. The main outcome of the meeting was a draft of the Ethical Standard.

The Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies at the HSE University ISSEK held a webinar "Foresight Methods for Managing the Future." Natalia Veselitskaya, laboratory’s Leading Research Fellow, explained how foresight can be used to identify which HR technologies will become priorities in the coming years.

Artificial intelligence (AI) significant impacts on the economy and society, touching on a wide range of areas, from strategic management and decision-making to everyday communication. Experts from the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) used the iFORA system to map key fractures —areas where changes have already become irreversible and will only intensify.