Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISIA field of research as old as Fraunhofer ISI
Technology assessment (TA) is an interdisciplinary field of problem-oriented research with the following aims: to detect the emergence of new technologies at an early stage; to identify the opportunities, risks and challenges they present for society; and to evaluate the current and predicted future need for action they bring with them. TA is therefore primarily a tool for generating knowledge that is useful in making decisions relating to how policy, industry and society should handle new technologies.
The TA field of research is roughly as old as Fraunhofer ISI itself. We are taking the institute’s 50th anniversary as an opportunity to sketch out how TA has developed over that time.
A question for experts
During the first phase (1960s to 1980s), TA processes were mainly underpinned by scientific experts in the relevant field of technology, who would lend their knowledge and make assessments. Some examples of topics covered were the impact of car ownership and how road traffic was set to develop or the use of solar energy, but the experts also looked at the development of suitable methods for analyzing and evaluating new technologies (for identifying unintended consequences, for instance).
In the second phase (1980s to 2000s), it became increasingly clear that it was not enough to base TA processes solely on the expertise and opinions of people from the established scientific community. Instead, new technologies needed to be analyzed and evaluated using a range of different perspectives, knowledge and experience that were relevant to policy and society, be that via stakeholders, alternative research institutions, public discourse or citizens (as in the ADAPTA project).
The goal is to shape innovations responsibly
In the third phase, which began in the 2000s and is still ongoing now, a mix of the TA processes that have been tried out thus far are employed, depending on the technology being assessed and the need for societal debate. Important areas covered so far have been the modern biomedical promise of “personalized medicine” or the opportunities and risks presented by digitalizing democratic processes, for example. Now more than ever, this field of research is also trying to influence technology development processes at an early stage, so as to help shape technical innovations responsibly.
In future, TA and Fraunhofer ISI will have to grapple with technological questions of how to transform societies to create a way of life that is globally equitable and respects the natural limits of our planet. Only time will tell whether a fourth TA phase is on the horizon.
