Under the conditions of increased demand for ways of addressing
the future through strategic intelligence, foresight is progressively being
embedded as a planning, consultation and decision making tool. A typology
of foresight outcomes is developed in order to more effectively evaluate,
and assess the impact of foresight on policy. A case study of a recent
multi-national foresight project which examined human health care in the
post-genomic era demonstrates the crucial role of foresight in providing
a means to grasp the complexity of the potential impacts, for reconciling
the many different perspectives involved, and for providing a sound basis for
future policies. The impact of the project is assessed against the various
possible outcomes.