Who will set the scientific agenda? The emerging world will certainly play a bigger role. Arguably in the UK, scientific literacy is falling as universities produce fewer science graduates. China produces 300,000 graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics yearly and the Middle East is re-emerging as a centre of research. This is part of Outsights 21 Drivers for the 21st Century ™, a future-orientated scan of the 21 key forces shaping this century.