Technology Assessment and Policy Areas of Great Transitions

Two European conferences (2013 in Prague and 2015 in Berlin) aimed at taking stock of and supporting exchange on TA capacities available in Europe are being organized in the framework of the FP7 funded project “Parliaments and Civil Society in Technology Assessment” (PACITA).

The First European Conference on Technology Assessment titled "Technology Assessment and Policy Areas of Great Transitions" will be organized in Prague, March 13-15. Examples of societal areas witnessing such great transitions are health care and medicine, energy supply, climate change and mobility in addition to the use of computer technology in all areas of society.

The main subject areas the conference seeks to cover include:

• The kinds of knowledge and dialogue  needed for decision-making in societies in order to accomplish the great transitions,
• The kinds of projects and programs, institutions, approaches and methods needed by technology assessment in these processes,
• Novel methods, such as the use of various art forms, to reach different types of actors and target groups,
• The special interests and needs of EU member states in the various areas of the European Union with respect to policy advice for the great transitions,
• Results of projects on topics related to the great transitions, for example:
  • Health care in an ageing society (e.g. e-Health, robotics for home care, ambient assisted living)
  • Energy supply in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster (e.g. renewables)
  • Mobility (e.g. urban transport, e-mobility, logistics)
  • Changes to societal relationships through ICT (social computing etc.)
• The use of project results in policy-making and other activities.

Conference webpage.