Cyber-physical systems research and education in 2030: Scenarios and strategies

•This study shows that the technological advancements would continue to increase, and it is challenging for all to keep up with the speed of this transformation.•The new strategies in education should include concrete actions towards lifelong and interdisciplinary learning possibilities.•The organizations’ ability to conduct virtual validation and verification, in addition to using the design and architecture, are essential for complexity management and cost-efficiency.•The educators, researchers, institutions and governments should develop necessary strategies to enable data-orientated, continuous, interdisciplinary, collaborative, ethical, and sustainable research and education from today.•Higher education should consider improving digital fluency, advancing digital equality, contributing to new ways of teaching complexity, expanding access to learning platforms and preparing next generations to adapt for rapidly changing future of the work conditions.