Comparative Table of Parliamentary TA Institutions
AUSTRIA - THE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
As
in many other countries in Europe, the discussion about the social consequences
of new technologies – and hence also about TA – began in Austria around the
middle of the 1980’s. It was in 1984 that TA was first perceived, at least
conceptually, by Austrian technology policies and that the question of the
establishment of an »OTA for Austria« was first raised.
INSTITUTIONALISATION
Finally, in
1985, a small working party was founded at the Institute for
Socio-Economic Development Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences
(ÖAW) around Ernst Braun, formerly the head of the Technology Policy
Unit (University of Aston), giving rise on 1.1.1988 to the Technology
Assessment Unit (FTB), which later, on 1.1.1994, became the Institute
of Technology Assessment (Institut für Technikfolgen-Abschätzung, ITA).
Ernst Braun left Austria as director in 1991, and was succeeded first
by Gunther Tichy and then, in 2006, by Michael Nentwich. The ITA is an
associate member of EPTA and a founder member of the NTA (network of
the German speaking TA community).
ORGANISATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The ITA is a research unit
of the ÖAW, which for its part is one of the largest non-university
research institutions in Austria with a particular focus on basic
research. In accordance with the interdisciplinary approach of TA, the
ITA was set up as an institute of the "Academy as a whole", not related
to one of its two multidisciplinary chapters. The ITA is advised and
supported by an international scientific advisory board (SAB) and is
evaluated externally at six yearly intervals. Currently, the ITA has
around 20 employees. Its work is financed by the Ministry of Science
through the ÖAW and, accounting for roughly one third of the budget, by
third-party funds (e.g. the Research Fund, various Austrian ministries,
the EU etc.). The overall budget runs to around 1.5 million EUR.
FINDING TOPICS
As a scientific research institute, the ITA is
relatively free in setting its focal points and determining its topics.
The framework is formed by the medium-term research programme, which is
updated on an annual basis by means of an internal meeting in which the
future topics are presented by the individual researchers and discussed
in the group. The decision-making meeting is preceded by a monitoring
process which, while being immanent in daily work at the ITA, is
intensified during the period preceding the updating of the research
programme. The programme determined in this way is submitted to the
SAB, which can propose adjustments.
WORK PROCEDURES AND METHODS
As a scientific TA institute, the
ITA is largely committed to classical TA, with its emphasis on expert
orientations. Typical methods therefore include interviews with
experts, and literature and document searches. The increasing
integration of value-laden issues into TA projects is also leading to
the increased use of participatory methods in TA. The ITA has taken
note of and theoretically analysed this development, and since 2007 has
also been using participatory elements and methods in its projects,
ranging from focus groups and scenario workshops to citizen
conferences.
TOPICS
The current medium-term research programme 2012-2014
defines three major research areas, namely the information society,
governance of technology controversies, and technology and
sustainability. Besides its thematic research areas, ITA focuses on
cross-cutting issues, e.g. monitoring and horizon scanning activities
as well as critical reflection on and further development of TA
methods.
In the "Information society" area, ITA addresses three topics. E-governance
deals with the potential of ICT in the field of the state and its
effects. The analyses initially concentrated on the launch of
electronic administration (e-government) and currently focus on the
potential and obstacles of online political participation, which can be
ascribed to the overall concept of "electronic democracy". In the topic
"Privacy" the network of relationships between technologies,
fundamental rights and social/political consequences is analysed as a
basis for deriving options for action. The analysis takes the effects
of new and future ICT on the private sphere as its starting point and
core. In a broader perspective, however, the ITA also addresses other
fields of technology and other basic rights affected. In the third
subtopic, "Networked environments", the ITA deals in particular
with the social consequences of pervasive computing and ambient
intelligence and with the effect of the use of new media on
geographical and social structures and modes of work in science, most
recently specifically in connection with Web 2.0 (cyber science).
The field of "Governance of technology controversies"
studies controversies about new technologies and their significance for
the governance process. Technology controversies have left deep traces
in modern society. Disputes concern not only specific applications
(such as in agro-biotechnology) but also what and how research and
development are to be pursued (for instance with respect to stem cell
research). Current topics in this field are nanotechnology and
synthetic and system biology.
In the field of "Technology and sustainability", against
the background of the social discussion concerning concrete problems
such as climate change or resources shortages and the problems these
give rise to, the ITA examines and evaluates the possible consequences
of technology, and investigates the conditions under which technology
can make a contribution to sustainable development. Current projects
address energy technologies in particular.
TARGET GROUPS
As a political and advisory instrument, the aim
of TA is not only a reflective analysis of social changes that result
from technological innovations but above all the provision of
information and advice to decision-makers. The possible
technology-policy actors in the public sector include Parliament, the
administration, federations and other public institutions, and the ITA
has conducted work for all of these.
As occurred in a number of other European countries, the ITA
also worked directly for Parliament in the early days of its existence.
The reasons why this institutionalisation of TA at Parliament was not
continued are to be found both on the level of actors and financing.
Furthermore, there is also the legitimate question of whether
Parliament is the "right place" for technology policy discussions and
decisions within Austria´s realpolitik structures. There are, however,
links to Parliament at personal level, since ITA staff is regularly
invited as experts to Parliamentary hearings. Since 2007, these
relationships have again been cultivated more intensively. Thus in
2008, an information discussion was held in the National Council
concerning the possible parliamentary institutionalisation of TA. In
2009, the ITA had the opportunity to present itself in detail to the
Committee for Research, Innovation and Technology. Representatives of
all parties welcomed a closer cooperation between Parliament and the
ITA. Since 2011 the self-description of the Parliamentary committee of
Research, Technology and Innovation includes a direct reference to TA;
negotiations regarding a closer relationship between Parliament and ITA
are under way.
Otherwise, in accordance with technology policy reality in
Austria, the ITA focuses its main attention on those elements of the
administration that are in close proximity to the political actors
through the provision of advice to various federal ministries and the
Council for Research and Technology. Furthermore, ITA addresses at the
international level the EU, and in particular the European Commission
and, most recently, the EU Parliament within the framework of the
European Technology Assessment Group (ETAG).
COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICATIONS
All ITA research reports are
available free of charge via the Internet. In addition, the Institute
has published a quarterly newsletter for over 10 years, which is
received by several hundred subscribers in Austria and abroad. With
active PR work it is attained that the Institute and its topics and
projects are continuously present in Austria quality media (press and
radio). In addition, the ITA organises regular conferences and lecture
events, and is active on the Internet. The latter includes not only the
Institute´s homepage with extensive information and download material
but also the use of new communication forms such as microblogging
(Twitter), a presence on Web 2.0 platforms (Facebook, Academia.edu) and
in encyclopaedias developed by the online community (Wikipedia).
IMPACT
As an academic TA institution, the success of ITA can
be measured in the number and quality of publications in academic
journals and books (preferred peer-reviewed, English-speaking), of oral
presentations at conferences (preferred invited keynotes at
international events) and of third-party funds raised (preferred
competitive grant research). These performance figures are core
criteria in the annual reporting, the assessment by the Scientific
Advisory Board and the regular evaluation teams. In addition, the
number of popular science talks and publications as well as the media
resonance is being reported.
Measuring the political impact of ITA´s studies is more
difficult, as many studies (e.g. EUROpTA, TAMI) showed: sometimes a
direct relationship between a project or its conclusions and a
political decision can be established, but usually this is not the
case. Nevertheless, ITA strives for such impact and tries to follow-up
on results, though not always as systematically and actively as
possible (there is certainly room for improvement). An indicator for
success of ITA projects has been the capability to integrate TA results
into the decision-making process at an early phase of the development
of national and EU research programmes (AAL-benefit, EU Environmental
Technologies Action Plan, EU Security Research Programme etc.).
THE WAY AHEAD
Since it was founded more than 20 years ago the
Institute has established itself as an important network node of the
European TA scene. One of the daily challenges is to walk the difficult
line between TA´s aim to make a contribution to compatible forms of
technology in the sense of providing political and social consulting on
the one hand, and the institutional status within a research body that
is committed to (application-open) basic research and demands
scientific excellence on the other hand. Budgetary problems in the
basic funding, which have led to an increased pressure for third-party
funds, have so far been overcome thanks to the high level of
international networking and the large demand for TA expertise within
the ministries. A major chance for the future is to develop the
hitherto weak relationship with the Austrian Parliament.
CONTACT
Institut für Technikfolgen-Abschätzung
Strohgasse 45, 5
1030 Wien
Austria
Director: PD Dr. Michael Nentwich
Fon +43 1 51581 6582
michael.nentwich@oeaw.ac.at
www.oeaw.ac.at
© EPTA, provided by ITA; version 19 Oct 2012