nanoscience and society - IAP/TU Wien

----- --- -=-- ~
...----z1F
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (Germany) 339
See Also: Center for Nanotechnology in Society (ASU); Design
and Construction; Innovation.
Further Readings
Cagan, J. and C.M. Vogel. Creating Breakthrough Products:
Innovation From Product Planning to Program Approval.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002.
Friedman, T.L. "Oops. I Told the Truth." New York Times
(October 17,2004).
Nussbaum, B. "Redesigning American Business." Business­
Week (November 29, 2004).
Ille C. Gebeshuber
Vienna University of Technology
Mark O. Macqueen
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Institute for Technology
Assessment and Systems
Analysis (Germany)
The Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems
Analysis (ITAS) was among the first research institutes
investigating the societal dimensions of nanotechnology.
This work started in 2000, partly motivated by an
early study for the German Parliament via its Office
of Technology Assessment, operated by ITAS. Current
ITAS work on nanotechnology focuses on risk characterization
and communication of nanoparticles and
ethical aspects of converging technologies. The mission
of ITAS is much more broad, and covers issues such as
sustainable development, energy systems analysis, and
sociology of risk.
The Institute
ITAS is a public-funded research institute of the Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology. The mission of ITAS is
creating and communicating knowledge at the many interfaces
between science and technology and society. Its
work focuses on environmental, economic, social, and
political-institutional issues.
ITAS supports politics, science, business, and the
general public in decision making on the basis of the
best available knowledge and transparent assessments.
For this purpose, ITAS applies and upgrades methods
of technology assessment (TA) and systems analysis.
Knowledge provided by ITAS can be characterized by
the following aspects:
Pragmatic Orientation. The Institute produces knowledge
against the background of societal expectations,
problems, and debates concerning technology. Relevant
societal actors are involved in the research and communication
process. Research results are integrated into
different alternative options for action and shaping.
Future Orientation. The Institute's research regularly
includes a prospective part. The focus is on forecasting
the consequences of human action, both as a foresight
of sociotechnological developments and as an assessment
of the future impacts of current decisions, taking
into account specifically the uncertainties necessarily
involved.
Value Orientation. ITAS approaches the normative dimension
of TA by analytical as well as by participatory
means, involving applied ethics and social sciences. In
particular, a model of sustainable development work
has been developed by ITAS.
ITAS focuses on the following research fields:
Strategies of Sustainable Development. Based on the
integrative concept of sustainable development, strategies
for a variety of problems are developed and assessed,
for example in the fields of mega-cities, land use,
and scarce materials.
Energy-Resources, Technologies, and Systems. New
technologies in the energy field are investigated with respect
to their ecological, economic, and social impacts
in the context of energy systems. Current focus is on the
use of biomasses not competing with nutrition requirements,
and on efficiency strategies.
Key Technologies and Innovation Processes. Potentials
and impacts of key technologies as well as unintended
side effects are identified and characterized. Options for
action concerning innovation, dealing with risks and
for public debate are developed. Focus is on nanotechnology
and on communication technology.
Knowledge-Based Decision Making in Society. Decision
making in modern society is, on the one hand,
more and more expected to be knowledge based, but on
the other hand increasingly faced with far-ranging uncertainties.
This dilemma is investigated in depth, and
strategies of dealing with it are developed.