Guest Editorial: New Perspectives on Roadmapping: Foreword

The papers in this special section focus on the topic of roadmapping. Roadmapping emerged from industrial practice more than five decades ago, initially to support integrated product-technology strategy and planning, and championed by firms, such as Motorola and Philips. The first sector level application of the method was in 1991 by the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Semiconductors, leading to the first international application in 1999 with the publication of the highly influential International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). Academic interest in the method followed practice, starting in the late 1990s with research groups that had high levels of industrial engagement. Subsequently, there has been a steady growth in both practice and research, with the approach being adopted in a range of sectors, and adapted to address many different strategic goals and organizational contexts. Motivated by continuing developments, this special issue brings together a total of 18 papers covering a diverse range of practice and research perspectives from academia, industry, and government agencies. After a foundational paper setting out definitions, these contributions are organized into five themes: (i) application and practice, (ii) process and methods, (iii) systems design, (iv) policy futures, and (v) digitalization.