Heiko Andreas von der Gracht

Heiko von der Gracht
Born	Heiko Andreas von der Gracht (1978-11-30) 30 November 1978 (age 46) Aachen, Germany
Nationality	German
Alma mater	Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences Fontys University of Applied Sciences University of Plymouth EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht
Employer(s)	KPMG University for Continuing Education Krems
Known for	Foresight and Technology management Delphi method

Heiko Andreas von der Gracht (born 30 November 1978) is a German academic and futurist in the fields of foresight and technology management. He is a professor of foresight and digital transformation at the University of Continuing Education Krems.

Early life and education

Von der Gracht was born in Aachen on November, 30 1978. He was raised in Jülich and attended school at the Gymnasium Zitadelle Jülich, receiving his Abitur in 1998. ^{[1] [2]}

He graduated in 2003 as an industrial engineer in a dual degree program from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences and Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Venlo. ^[3]

In 2004, von der Gracht received a Master of Science in supply chain management from the University of Plymouth. ^[4] From 2005 to 2008, he was a research assistant at the EBS University of Business and Law, where he completed his doctorate in 2008 on the subject of futures studies. ^[5]

Professional life

In 2009, von der Gracht founded the Centre for Futures Studies and Knowledge Management at the EBS University of Business and Law, which he developed into an independent research institute. ^{[6] [7]}

In 2013, von der Gracht joined KPMG Germany as a futurist and head of a think tank for strategic foresight. ^[8]

Von der Gracht obtained his habilitation in 2017 from the University of Erlangen–Nuremberg. ^[9] Since 2024, he has been Professor of Foresight and Digital Transformation at the University for Continuing Education Krems. Previously, he held the Chair of Futures Studies at Steinbeis University. ^[10]

Von der Gracht also serves as a member of the Global Foresight Network at World Economic Forum (WEF) ^[11] and as an ambassador for its Global Collaboration Village (Forum Metaverse) ^[12]

Research

Based on the work of futurist Theodore J. Gordon in The Millennium Project, Von der Gracht developed the expert survey software 'Real-time Delphi'. ^[13] In 2011, von der Gracht and Gordon presented a joint paper at World Future Society (WFS) Annual Summit 2011, which summarizes the lessons learned of 40 real-time Delphi (RTD) studies across their two platforms. ^{[14] [ unreliable source? ]}

In early 2018, together with professors George Wright from the University of Strathclyde and George Cairns from Queensland University of Technology, he founded the international journal Futures & Foresight Science, of which he is an associate editor since 2017. ^{[15] [16]} From 2012, he initially served on the advisory board of the journal Technological Forecasting & Social Change and has been associate editor of the journal since 2017. ^[17]

Selected publications

Books and reports

• The future of logistics: scenarios for 2025. Dissertation. Gabler 2008, ISBN   9783834910820
• Heiko von der Gracht, Michael Salcher, Nikolaus Graf Kerssenbrock (2015); The Energy Challenge: A Licence for Navigating the Future; REDLINE; ISBN   9783864148897
• Heiko von der Gracht, Angelika Huber-Strasser, Marcus Schüller, Nils Müller, Petra Lichtenau, Hannah Zühlke (2018); Rethinking the value chain. A study on AI, humanoids and robots - Artificial Intelligence: Possible business application and development scenarios to 2040 (via ResearchGate)
• Sascha L. Schmidt, Heiko von der Gracht, Daniel Beiderbeck, Gerrit Heidemann (2023); AI, Blockchain, and immersive technologies: Metaversal business models of professional football clubs in 2030 (via ResearchGate)

Articles

• Consensus Measurement in Delphi Studies – Review and Implications for Future Quality Assurance. In: Technological Forecasting & Social Change. Vol. 79, No. 8, 2012, p. 1525–1536, doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2012.04.013.
• with Daniel Beiderbeck, Nicolas Frevel, Sascha L. Schmidt, Vera M. Schweitzer: Preparing, conducting, and analyzing Delphi surveys: Cross-disciplinary practices, new directions, and advancements In: MethodsX. Vol. 8, 2021, p. 101401, doi:10.1016/j.mex.2021.101401.
• with Christoph Markmann, Alexander Spickermann, Alexander Brem: Improving the question formulation in Delphi‐like surveys: Analysis of the effects of abstract language and amount of information on response behavior. In: Futures & Foresight Science. 2020;e56, doi:10.1002/ffo2.56.
• with Inga-Lena Darkow: Scenarios for the Logistics Service Industry: A Delphi-based analysis for 2025. In: International Journal of Production Economics. Vol. 127, No. 1, 2010, p. 46–59, doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2010.04.013.
• with Tobias Gnatzy, Johannes Warth, Inga-Lena Darkow: Validating an Innovative Real-Time Delphi Approach – A methodological comparison between real-time and conventional Delphi studies. In: Technological Forecasting & Social Change. Vol. 78, No. 9, 2011, p. 1681–1694, doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2011.04.006.
• with Robert Vennemann, Inga-Lena Darkow: Corporate Foresight and Innovation Management: A Portfolio – Approach in Evaluating Organizational Development. In: Futures – The journal of policy, planning and futures studies. Vol. 42, No. 4, 2010, p. 380–393, doi:10.1016/j.futures.2009.11.023.
• with Jay E. Gary: The Future of the Foresight Professionals: Results from a Delphi Study. In: Futures – The journal of policy, planning and futures studies. Vol. 71, 2015, p. 132–145, doi:10.1016/j.futures.2015.03.005.
• with Victor A. Bañuls, Murray Turoff, Andrzej M. J. Skulimowski, Theodore J. Gordon: Foresight Support Systems: The future role of ICT for foresight. In: Technological Forecasting & Social Change. Vol. 97, 2015, p. 1–6, doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2014.08.010.

References

1. "Die Zukunft kann man planen - auch die eigene". DVZ. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
2. "Ein Zukunftsforscher zwischen Logistik und KI: Heiko von der Gracht aus Jülich gehört zu den am meisten zitierten Wissenschaftlern". Aachener Zeitung. 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
3. "Sommerinterview mit Prof. Dr. Heiko von der Gracht [Summer interview with Prof. Dr. Heiko von der Gracht]". VWI (in German). VWI Verband Deutscher Wirtschaftsingenieure. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
4. "Zukunftsforschung, Wirtschaftsforschung und Leadership [Foresight, Business Research and Leadership]". Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (idw) (in German). School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE) GmbH. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
5. The future of logistics: scenarios for 2025. Dissertation. Gabler 2008, ISBN   9783834910820.
6. "BrainNet stiftet Center für Zukunftsforschung (German press release)". BrainNet Management Consultants GmbH. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
7. "EBS beschließt Neuorganisation des Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) (German press release)". EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht i. Gr. 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
8. "Dr. Heiko von der Gracht leitet Zukunftsforschung bei incore [Dr. Heiko von der Gracht heads Foresight at Incore]". MyNewsdesk (in German). KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
9. "Prof. Dr. Heiko von der Gracht – VHB Open Course [Prof. Dr. Heiko von der Gracht – VHB Open Course]". VHB Open (in German). Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
10. "Zukunftsforschung, Wirtschaftsforschung und Leadership (German press release)". School of International Business and Entrepreneurship (SIBE) GmbH. 2018-12-19. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
11. "Global Foresight Network - Home". initiatives.weforum.org. Archived from the original on 2025-09-01. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
12. "Global Collaboration Village 2022-2025". www.globalcollaborationvillage.org. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
13. Gnatzy T, Warth J, von der Gracht HA, Darkow IL (2011). "Validating an innovative real-time Delphi approach - A methodological comparison between real-time and conventional Delphi studies". Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 78 (9): 1681–1694. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2011.04.006.
14. "New Frontiers in Delphi Research-Experiences with Real Time Delphi in Foresight". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2025-08-15. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
15. "FUTURES & FORESIGHT SCIENCE". Wiley Online Library. doi:10.1002/(ISSN)2573-5152 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.
16. "Launch of new journal "Futures & Foresight Science"". Future Orientation. 2018-02-25. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
17. "Editorial board - Technological Forecasting and Social Change | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

External links

• Literature by and about Heiko Andreas von der Gracht in the German National Library catalogue
• Heiko von der Gracht Website of ResearchGate