In the context of the association of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, the SCNAT is responsible for the primary task “Foresight”, i.e. the identification of topics that will be decisive for science and society in the future. For this purpose, the SCNAT maintains scientific monitoring systems, such as for Swiss glaciers, and a Platform for socially relevant topics (“Platform Science and Policy”). At the same time, the Academy also observes the development of new technologies in the scientific domain, as for example synthetic biology, with the analysis of possible opportunities and risks being in the foreground. For that reason, the SCNAT maintains the exchange among the various scientific disciplines, allowing it to make available a broad-based foundation for foresight.