Technology Assessment: KIT advises the Bundestag for another five years
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has been tasked with operating the Office for Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) for the next five years until 2028 through its Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS). This was unanimously decided by the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment of the German Bundestag. (Source: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Press Releases)
On the reappointment of KIT, Kai Gehring, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment, said: “In the committee today we unanimously decided to continue the excellent cooperation with the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis for the next five years. The scientists support us, members of the Bundestag, with their independent expertise and concentrated factual knowledge in recognizing technological developments and innovation potential at an early stage and in weighing up their opportunities and risks. As committee chairman, I am very pleased to continue our successful cooperation, to further develop it agilely and to make it usable for our innovation location.”
“Taking responsibility means developing new technologies with which we can face the great societal challenges – from the climate crisis to the energy and mobility turnaround to digitalization and health issues. Just as it is necessary to investigate the possible impacts of these technologies: scientifically based, independent and in dialogue with society,” says the President of the KIT, Professor Holger Hanselka. “Technology assessment has an outstanding significance, particularly also in policy advice. The fact that KIT has been commissioned to operate the TAB for another five years is a sign of the outstanding achievements of the researchers at ITAS. With their expertise, they have once again been able to assert themselves in a very intensive application process against strong competitors.”
“The trust associated with the research committee’s decision is not least an indication of the visibility and acceptance of the TAB that has been achieved throughout the German Bundestag and beyond in society,” says Professor Armin Grunwald, head of ITAS and TAB. “We are looking forward to showing the parliament options for action that are agile and forward-looking, by analyzing current and also critical societal and technology policy issues with excellent scientific expertise and in dialogue with politics and society. With our work, we also want to make a contribution to increasing societal resilience and thus also support the strengthening of Germany’s innovative power.”
Identifying action options precisely
The Bundestag’s decision to commission KIT again refers to the period from September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2028. Also during this period, the diverse competencies and resources of KIT and ITAS are to be used with regard to systemic interrelationships and technology impacts. The cooperation of the TAB with the two partners IZT – Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment gGmbH (Berlin) and VDI/VDE Innovation and Technik GmbH (Berlin) is also to be continued.
For an even more precise identification of action options for parliament, the TAB will use an expanded and more diverse range of methods, such as digital data analysis and participatory scenario methods. Foresight activities with a focus on innovation and transformative resilience will be further expanded and at the same time sharpened. Science communication and public relations work will also be particularly strengthened in order to increase TA visibility within and outside the Bundestag.
The Office for Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag
The TAB is an independent scientific institution that advises the German Bundestag and its committees on matters of scientific-technical change. Since 1990, the TAB has been operated by the ITAS of the KIT. With its analyses of new scientific-technological developments and their impacts on society, the environment and the economy, the TAB contributes to the informed decision-making of politically responsible persons and to public opinion formation beyond parliament.
The direct client of the TAB is the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment, which decides in close exchange with the TAB on the topic suggestions of the specialist committees and factions of the German Bundestag. It is of great importance that the commissioning for the implementation of TAB projects and the later acceptance of the reports submitted by the TAB takes place in consensus of the factions.
Digitalization, Energy, Environment, Transportation and Medicine in Focus
The focus of the TAB studies are digitalization in society and economy, critical infrastructures and crisis prevention, application areas of artificial intelligence, innovative energy carriers and environmental technologies, mobility and transportation systems, bio- and medical technologies. This is supplemented by investigations of hotspots of innovation activity, strengths and weaknesses of the research location Germany and current challenges in research and science policy. To handle this variety of topics, the TAB has a team of ten experienced researchers from various disciplines (including engineering, biology, physics, economics, philosophy, political science, sociology, future research) ready. The TAB’s work is supplemented by the special knowledge and experience of the experts from the cooperation partners IZT and VDI/VDE-IT in the fields of future research, transformation and resilience, as well as by the expertise of the external consultants commissioned by the TAB.
The contract partner of the German Bundestag for the operation of the TAB is the KIT. The annual budget for the TAB is currently around 2.6 million euros; this includes the grants to the TAB’s cooperation partners and the material resources for the commissioning of external expert opinions. The TAB is a member of the German-speaking TA network (NTA). As a founding member of the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment Network (EPTA), it also contributes to responsible innovation policy at the European level.
Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis at KIT
The ITAS located at the KIT is the leading institute for technology assessment in Germany and worldwide. The institute researches the spectrum of possible technology impacts and thus contributes to making good use of the potentials of progress at an early stage and to minimizing or avoiding risks. ITAS offers knowledge for action and presents solutions for the current global challenges. The recipients of the research results are those who shape scientific-technical progress with politics, business, and society.
KIT/J. Moosmüller, 21.06.2023
The original press release can be found at:
Technikfolgenabschätzung: KIT berät den Bundestag für weitere fünf Jahre (only in German)
Localization in the Helmholtz Research Field Information:
Helmholtz Research Field Information, Program 1: Engineering Digital Futures, Topic 4: Knowledge for Action
Contact:
Armin Grunwald
Head of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Phone: +49 721 608 22500
E-Mail: armin.grunwald@kit.edu
Contact for this press release:
Jonas Moosmüller
ITAS – Public Relations
Karlsruher Institute of Technology (KIT)
Phone: +49 721 608 26796
E-Mail: jonas.moosmueller@kit.edu
