A New Locus for T.A. in the USA
The Danish Board of Technology
Enquete-Kommission des Deutschen Bundestages
Centre for Science Research and Statistics, Moscow
Multimedia-Enquête Baden-Württemberg
Statement to the International Association of Technology Assessment and Forecasting Institutions (IATAFI)
by Vary Coates
The U.S. Congress has voted to abolish its Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), the 22 year old agency that served as the model for most other technology assessment institutions around the world. OTA must officially close its doors at the end of September, 1995. A small group of OTA analysts has begun efforts to find private sector funding for a non-governmental "Institute for Technology Assessment", that might be a bridge to a new legislative support agency at some future time, under a changed political environment.
The first sign of eminent danger to OTA came soon after the national elections in November, 1994, in which the Republican party won control of both houses of Congress for the first time in forty years. Key Republican legislators were quoted as intending to kill OTA, one of four agencies that are part of the legislative branch of the tripartite U.S. government. (Unlike Parliamentary systems, of course, the U.S. government has three co-equal parts: executive, legislative, and judicial. Few of OTA's admirers took the threat seriously at the time. OTA has always claimed to be, and was generally regarded by those outside of the Congress who were even aware of the small agency, as scrupulously non-partisan. OTA, moreover, always had enjoyed strong support from its governing Technology Assessment Board (TAB), made up of three Senators and three Representatives from each party no matter what the political balance was within the Congress. TAB included some of the most powerful Members from the minority as well as the majority party. Having weathered threatening attacks in its early years OTA had apparently established an unassailable reputation for analytical soundness and integrity although never completely free of criticism from some legislators, who regarded its studies as taking too long and being too unresponsive to immediate legislative battles and agenda. In recent years, this criticism never included overt charges of partisanship.
This criticism swelled during the 103rd Congress, however, fed by the drive to cut government spending and downsize the federal bureaucracy. OTA is a tiny agency by U.S. standards, with fewer than 200 staffers. Its $22 million annual budget constituted about one tenth of one percent of the legislative budget, which itself is minuscule compared to the rest of the federal government's budget. Its small size and specialized work, at the same time, made it one of the few agencies that could be attacked without arousing a large, powerful army of external contractors and lobbyists with self-serving reasons for coming to the defense of a captive bureaucracy. OTA, with a political naiveté that must be nearly unparalleled among governmental organizations, made little effort to bring its danger to the attention of its admirers outside of government - the scientists, engineers, business executives, academics, and public interest representatives who had welcomed participation in OTA workshops and advisory panels as a way of bringing their expertise, insights, and interests to the attention of Congress. In the 1970's, such outside constituents were effective supporters of OTA when its appropriations were in danger. But whether from complacency or simplicity, until almost the final days of the debate over its fate this summer, OTA abjured any semblance of "lobbying" in its own defense lest it offend its critics within the Congress.
In retrospect, OTA had developed serious structural vulnerabilities that brought it down under a partisan attack:
_ Although OTA's Director had the legal authority to initiate studies (thereby serving as an "early warning system" for Congress, TAB and management policy was to select only projects requested by committee chairmen and/or the ranking minority member of the committee. Since the minority members did not set committee agendas or organize Hearings, they rarely requested studies independently. For nearly all of OTA's 22 year lifetime, committee chairmen were Democratic; hence OTA's strong constituents were concentrated in one party - which lost in 1994.
_ Newly elected legislators, for the most part, arrived in Washington never having heard of OTA. This year, more that half of Congressional members were freshmen - mostly Republican, and mostly not beholden even to the Republican members of OTA's TAB. OTA was a convenient place to downsize government, or appear to do so, by "wiping out an entire agency" - and claiming positive action yet offending few constituents in the process.
_ OTA analyses were done, for the most part, for "authorizing" committees - those who prepare and promote legislation and exercise legislative oversight over executive agencies. But OTA's fate ultimately was decided by appropriations committees, whose mandate this year was strongly and narrowly driven by the desire to reduce the national deficit.
_ OTA's strongest supporters, both in and out of Congress, were not bound together by a single shared interest but perhaps by a general attitude toward governance and rational decisionmaking. At the same time that the battle over OTA was being fought - with very little attention from the media - larger, most dramatic, and more immediately consequential battles were also being fought in Congress. Attempts were underway to dismantle environmental regulations, to kill the Endangered Species Act, to cut Medicare and reform welfare programs, to attack family planning agencies, and to wipe out the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Legislators had many claims on their political chips. The attention, the energies, and the resources of many interest groups who might otherwise have rallied behind OTA were already absorbed, on one side or the other, by these battles.
Beyond these structural vulnerabilities was the fact that OTA's culture of even-handed analysis that coolly displayed a wide range of competing interest and values, and presented abstract "options" rather than legislatively appropriate recommendations, had little appeal to legislators newly elected with - as they see it - an over-riding shared mission or mandate to remake government in a new, thoroughly conservative image. It is rare, in the United States, for one of the broad, multi-interests political parties to take office with such a clearly articulated agenda. Older, long-seated legislators, accustomed to leading a minority party, are struggling to appear in control, having to run hard to get in front of the stampede of the young bulls their party has sent to Congress. These new Members have not yet had time to be puzzled by complex technical issues, or to appreciate their need for information independent both of the competing armies of lobbyists that will besiege them and of the executive bureaucracy at the other end of Pennsylvania. Thus they saw little need for OTA
In this light, what happened to OTA is less surprising than it first appeared. Both the House and Senate appropriations committees voted to provide no money for OTA in Fiscal Year 96, which begins Oct. 1. On the floor of the House, a successful revolt led by the Republican chairman of TAB - but largely manned by Democrats - succeeded in amending the appropriations bill by a narrow margin, to fold a smaller OTA under the umbrella of the Congressional Research Service (CRS), a much larger sister agency. For days, there appeared real hope that OTA might be saved. The effort to pass a similar amendment on the floor of the Senate failed, however, and a conference committee reconciling the House and Senate appropriations bills accepted the Senate decision to kill OTA. It is worth noting however, that while OTA's budget was wiped out and the intent of Congress was made clear, OTA's founding legislation remains on the books, so that it is possible that the agency could be resurrected by renewed funding in some later Congress.
Throughout the debates and the maneuvering that preceded the votes
that killed OTA, even those most committed to its abolition generally
praised the agency. It was criticized for working too slowly,
not accommodating the demands of the legislative calendar, and
broadening its attention too far beyond "technology issues".
Arguments were heard that its work could be taken over by other
legislative offices, such as the CRS. A few legislators said bluntly
that OTA was "too liberal". But there were no charges
of incompetence, shoddiness, or lack of integrity. One of its
most relentless opponents characterized OTA as a fine agency,
but "a luxury we cannot afford".
OTA will close on September 30, after a final spate of about 15
reports are released to Congress and the public. The management
and staff are now working hard to make sure that OTA reports will
remain available, on-line and in print, for as long as they are
relevant to public policy issues.
The question remains, of how to preserve the institutional memory and analytical culture of OTA. Other TA organizations, in other countries, will hopefully carry on and improve on those traditions. Meanwhile, a group of OTA analysts are acting to create an Institute for Technology Assessment (ITA), outside of government, but intended to maintain and preserve the essential idea and ideals of OTA in the hope that in the future, changes in the political climate may make it possible and desirable to revive this valuable organization. Many possibilities for organizational structure, funding, and activities are being discussed and explored. Suggestions and comments from technology assessment colleagues and friends around the world are welcomed. Please send them to Vary Coates, fax (202) 9668349, by mail to 3738 Kanawha St. NW, Washington, DC 20015, or by Internet to cji@tmn.com.
Anmerkung der Redaktion
Ende September wurde das OTA geschlossen. Wichtig zu wissen ist jedoch, daß die neuen und die erst kürzlich veröffentlichten Berichte des OTA noch für einige Monate elektronisch über OTA Online (http://www.ota.gov) verfügbar sein werden. Außerdem werden die gedruckten Berichte, solange der Vorrat reicht, noch vom U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) vertrieben. Der National Technical Information Service (NTIS) hält die Berichte des OTA, seine Hintergrunddokumente und 'contracter documents' weiterhin dauerhaft vorrätig.
by Vary Coates
As the new Republican majority in Congress moved toward abolishing
the Office of Technology Assessment, that agency's professional
staff pondered the question of whether their work had indeed become
unnecessary and ineffective, or at least, as one Member characterized
it in congressional debate, "a luxury the Congress can no
longer afford". OTA analysts concluded that the needs that
led to the establishment of OTA in 1973 were not only still valid,
but increasingly so, because of the centrality of science and
technology in American society, and their relevance to nearly
all major public policy issues.
The United States and the Congress still need:
_ a source of information for legislators about technology that is independent of lobbyists and independent of bureaucratic programs and Executive branch political agendas;
_ a mechanism to gather in and integrate for legislators the expertise of scientists and industry leaders and the insights of "stakeholders" or those who would be most affected by technological impacts; and
_ a "translator" to facilitate communication between experts, the public, and political leaders.
The Congress did, nevertheless, eliminate OTA through a series of fairly narrow votes. Many observers interpreted this as a result of intense short-term political pressures rather than a considered repudiation of the principles outlined above or of the usefulness of OTA's analyses. Was it therefore desirable, OTA staff members asked themselves, to create an "ark" that could preserve OTA's institutional memory and analytical techniques until the flood abated and Congress might again recognize its need for a dedicated think-tank?
The result of these discussions was the incorporation, just before OTA closed, of an Institute for Technology Assessment (ITA), which some describe as an attempt to "privatize" OTA. The assumption behind ITA appears to some paradoxical - that even if Congress is unwilling to pay for OTA's advice or to directly request and endorse it, yet Congressional deliberations and decisions can be informed and improved by such analysis. However, OTA's direct impact on Congressional Members (more realistically, on their personal aides and committee staffers) was limited and secondary in effectiveness to the feedback to Congress from constituents and the media relying on OTA reports.
The high credibility of OTA reports rested on the breadth of OTA's outreach to experts and stakeholders, the scale and openness of its reiterative review process, and its consistent avoidance of advocacy or partisan positions. This outreach was possible because industry leaders, scientists, and interest groups were willing to give generously of their time and effort to OTA both as an "ear" of the Congress and an ombudsman for the general public interest.
To identify itself as the heir of OTA, therefore, the ITA must maintain some link to Congress; an emphasis on broad outreach to experts; an analytical process that is open and public; and the ability to deliver balanced, objective findings free of advocacy and special pleading. At the same time, ITA has the opportunity to escape some of the limitations that were inherent in OTA's status as a congressional agency. It can function as an "early warning system", anticipating and calling attention to the potential opportunities and problems of emerging technologies before they reach the floor of congress and before they are distorted by the narrow presentations of special interests. ITA could select for attention international or regional (state) issues as well as congressional issues. It could give greater attention to questions faced by business and industry which do not necessarily require or imply government action.
A steering committee and a much larger group of participating ex-OTA analysts have mobilized distinguished advisors and consultants - many of whom served on OTA advisory panels - to help in structuring an organization with the desired characteristics. As currently envisioned, ITA would have a Board of Directors made up of civic and industry leaders concerned about technology, policy, and the public interest, and experienced in institution building and management. A link to congress would be provided by a Board of Advisors that would include both federal and state legislators. Several recent members of OTA's bipartisan governing board of Representatives and Senators have already agreed to serve on such an advisory council.
While the details of ITA's structure and operating charter are still under active discussion, most participants agree on some general principles. The Institute will necessarily begin on a small scale, with a core staff of ex-OTA researchers, supported by OTA alumni and others at universities and other off-site workplaces linked to the Institute by computer networks. ITA will minimize administrative and overhead costs by keeping management as flat and collegial as possible and by taking advantage of facilities and services offered by local universities. It will seek to put together a participating consortium of universities, possibly including some in other countries, from whom visiting faculty and graduate student interns might be drawn to participate in ITA studies.
It is anticipated that core funding for ITA must come from foundations or philanthropic sources at least initially. Funding for specific projects may be accepted from government agencies, scientific societies, state legislators or governmental agencies, industry and trade associations, and corporations, under specified conditions that would include, for example, full public disclosure of funding sources, broad review of draft materials, and full public dissemination of all analytical results. The ITA steering committee is now seeking small planning grants from various foundations or associations to support further planning and development and initial project selection, over a period of six to nine months.
ITA developers recognize that a number of technology assessment organizations in other countries have, for all or part of their lifetime, successfully combined private sector status and funding with legislative advisory functions and/or more general public constituency. We therefore welcome information and advice from such institutions about your experience, especially about the initial stages of development and organization. We also welcome, especially from international organizations, suggestions of projects that might be undertaken and potential sources of funding for such projects. Finally, we ask that ITA be included on organizational mailing lists for newsletters, meeting announcements, and other correspondence related to TA activity.
Contact
ITA
c/o Dr. Vary Coates (Interim President)
3738 Kanawha Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20015
Tel.: (202) 363 8523
Fax: (202) 966 8349
Internet:cji@imn.com.
by Lene Hansen
On 31 May 1995, the Danish parliament, the Folketing, adopted an act on the Danish Board of Technology. As of 1 August 1995, the Board of Technology was established as a permanent, independent institution. The Board was renamed in Danish from 'TeknologiNaevnet' to 'Teknologi-Rädet'. Its new director is Jan Ejlsted.
The Board of Technology will be entrusted with the tasks of monitoring the technological development, carrying out comprehensive assessments of the possibilities and impacts inherent in technology, and with furthering the public debate on technology. Advisory activities to the parliament and the government have been added to the list of tasks.
The Board will have a Board of Governors of 11 members. The Minister for Research appoints the chairman and three members in consultation with the Research Committee of the parliament. The following institutions will each appoint one member:
_ Danish Council for Adult Education
_ The Salaried Employees' and Civil Ser
vants' Confederation
_ The Danish Confederation of Trade
Unions
_ The Danish Employers' Confederation
_ The Industry and Trade Development
Council
_ The National Association of Local Autho
rities jointly with the Danish Association
of County Councils
_ The national research councils.
In addition, a Board of Representatives of around 50 members will be set up. It will serve "as a forum of open debate on current subjects related to technology assessment" as the Act states. The Board of Representatives meets twice annually.
The relations to the parliament will be ensured by continuous
contact between the Board of Technology and the relevant specialist
committees of the parliament and by the Board's rendering of reports
to the Parliamentary Committee of Research.
The appropriation of the Board of Technology will be determined
in the annual state budget. The 1996 appropriation comes to DKK
9 million.
Activities and methods
In order to assess the new technology the Board undertakes technology assessments over a wide field, where interaction between technology, society and the individual is significant. Major subject areas for assessment include: the environment, transport, working and living conditions as well as biotechnology, teaching-, health- and information technology.
As before, a variety of methods and communication strategies will be used for the eight to ten assessment projects, performed each year:
_ meetings (conferences, workshops,
seminars ...)
_ communication products (reports, book
lets, books, AV products)
_ briefing notes (briefs for the parliament,
the press and other target groups, briefs
in English).
To produce an interactive relationship with the public and help to bridge the gap between experts, policy makers and the population the Board has for several years worked with participatory methods and developed the Consensus Conferences and the Scenario Workshops.
On-going projects, autumn 1995
- Gene therapy (Johs. Grundahl)
- Crypto-politics (Steffen Stripp)
- Male reproductive health and chemicals
with estrogenic effects (Jan Ejlsted)
- Un-assessed chemicals (Johs. Grundahl)
- Distance Learning
(Henriette Hye-Knudsen)
- Public libraries in the future
(Ida Andersen, Steffen Stripp).
Contact
Jan Ejlsted
Teknologi-Rädet
Antonigade 4
1106 København K, Denmark
Tel. + 33 32 05 03
Fax: + 33 91 05 09
E-mail:
tekno@inet.uni-c.dk
Mit der Vorlage des Berichtes "Die Industriegesellschaft gestalten - Perspektiven für einen nachhaltigen Umgang mit Stoff- und Materialströmen" hat die vom 12. Deutschen Bundestag eingesetzte Enquête-Kommission "Schutz des Menschen und der Umwelt - Bewertungskriterien und Perspektiven für umweltverträgliche Stoffkreisläufe in der Industriegesellschaft" ihre Arbeit abgeschlossen. Ausgehend von den in der vergangenen Legislaturperiode erarbeiteten Ergebnissen sollen die Arbeiten von der vom 13. Deutschen Bundestag im Juni 1995 eingesetzten Enquête-Kommission "Schutz des Menschen und der Umwelt - Ziele und Rahmenbedingungen einer nachhaltig zukunftsverträglichen Entwicklung" fortgeführt werden. Insbesondere kann und soll der erst ansatzweise verwirklichte Anspruch, Leitbilder und Entwicklungspfade für die zukünftige Entwicklung der Stoffwirtschaft in der Industriegesellschaft unter Berücksichtigung ökonomischer, ökologischer und sozialer Kriterien zu entwickeln, weiter verfolgt werden.
Die von der Enquête-Kommission zu untersuchenden Themen lassen sich zu folgenden Schwerpunkten zusammenfassen:
1. Erarbeitung von Umweltzielen für eine nachhaltig zukunftverträgliche Entwicklung
Um die Bedingungen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung festzulegen, müssen sowohl die Implikationen aus der Verfolgung von Umweltzielen in ökologischer, sozialer und wirtschaftlicher Hinsicht untersucht werden, als auch ausgehend von sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Zielsetzungen die ökologischen Auswirkungen.
Ein Thema wird die Begrenzung des Schadstoffeintrags in die Umwelt (auch klimaschädigende Emissionen) sein. Dabei sollen nicht nur die regional begrenzten Auswirkungen auf das Ökosystem betrachtet werden, sondern dem Anspruch eines umfassenden Leitbildes folgend auch die globalen Wirkungen.
Im Hinblick auf die Gestaltung einer nationalen Umweltpolitik müssen auch die Möglichkeiten zur internationalen Ausweitung betrachtet werden:
- Bestandsaufnahme der Umwelt unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Quellen und Senken belastender Stoffe;
- Identifikation von konkreten Problemfeldern und Stoffströmen;
- Fortentwicklung übergeordneter Bewertungskriterien für den Umgang mit Stoffen, besonders bei umweltoffener Anwendung;
- normative Festlegung von Umweltzielen und Umweltqualitätszielen;
- Erarbeitung von Grundlagen für einen nationalen Umweltplan.
2. Erarbeitung ökonomischer und sozialer Rahmenbedingungen für eine nachhaltig zukunftsverträgliche Entwicklung
- In ersten Schritten sollen die Anpassungs- und Leistungsfähigkeit des bestehenden Systems einer sozialen Marktwirtschaft und des bestehenden sozio-kulturellen Systems analysiert und beschrieben werden. Die Grenzen ihrer Wandlungsfähigkeit im Rahmen einer nachhaltig zukunftfähigen Entwicklung sollen herausgearbeitet und Mindestanforderungen zur nachhaltigen Sicherung der Stabilität dieser Systeme gegebenenfalls definiert werden.
- Es sollen die Wechselwirkungen zwischen den sozio-ökonomischen Aspekten und Rahmenbedingungen auch in Verbindung mit den ökologischen Zielsetzungen dargestellt werden.
- Die sozio-ökonomischen Systeme sollen im Hinblick auf ihre fundamentalen Steuerungsprinzipien und -mechanismen analysiert werden. Insbesondere soll untersucht werden, wie sich die Prinzipien der Marktsteuerung, Vertragsfreiheit, Eigentumsordnung sowie die Vorstellungen von Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit an das Leitbild anpassen lassen.
3. Notwendigkeit gesellschaftlicher, wirtschaftlicher und technischer Innovationen
- Entwicklung von Strategien zur Förderung neuer, ressourcenschonender und schadstoffvermeidender Verfahren, Produkte und Strukturen,
- Entwicklung von Szenarien zur Erreichung des übergeordneten Leitbildes einer nachhaltig zukunftverträglichen Entwicklung im internationalen Rahmen,
- Schwerpunktsetzung im Bildungsbereich zur Vermittlung des Leitbildes und der zu seiner Verwirklichung erforderlichen Qualifikation,
- Verbesserung der innovationsfördernden Rahmenbedingungen in Kultur und Gesellschaft,
- Analyse auf das Handeln und Verhalten von Konsumenten und Produzenten wirkenden Einflußfaktoren im Hinblick auf die individuelle Umsetzung von Umwelteinstellungen,
- Beschreibung des notwendigen Wandels zur Umsetzung des Leitbildes und der damit einhergehenden Neubewertung von Werthaltungen, Einstellungen, Konsummustern und Lebensstilen auf Basis der gesellschaftlichen Ziele und vorhandener Erfahrungswerte.
4. Maßnahmen zur Umsetzung einer nachhaltig zukunftsverträglichen Entwicklung
Um die Frage zu beantworten, auf welche Weise die bisher von der Allgemeinheit getragenen nachteiligen Effekte verursachergerecht in interne Kosten überführt werden können, sind folgende Bereiche verstärkt zu behandeln:
- Überprüfung und Weiterentwicklung des umweltpolitischen Instrumentariums
Neben Vorschlägen zur verbesserten Anpassung ordnungsrechtlicher Bestimmungen an die Anforderungen und Möglichkeiten eines betriebs- und medienübergreifenden Umweltschutzes sollen insbesondere die Einsatzmöglichkeiten ökonomischer Instrumente in einer sozialen und ökologischen Marktwirtschaft anhand konkreter Beispiele aus verschiedenen Bereichen (Abgaben, Steuern [z.B. "ökologische Steuerreform"], Zertifikate, Haftungsrecht, usw.) untersucht und bewertet werden. Desweiteren sollen auch die Möglichkeiten zur Förderung informatorischer Instrumente und freiwilliger Maßnahmen (Umweltmanagementsysteme, Öko-Audit, Ökobilanzen, Environmental Performance Evaluation, Responsible Care, usw.) überprüft werden.
- Überprüfung staatlicher Einnahmen und Ausgaben auf ihre Umweltwirkung,
- Darlegung der ökologischen Folgen von Gesetzesvorhaben,
- Weiterentwicklung der Methodik des Stoffstrommanagements unter besonderer Berücksichtigung diskursiver und kooperativer Vorgehensweisen,
- Diskussion über den Einsatz der Instrumente (einzeln oder in Kombination) zur treffsicheren und effizienten Erreichung konkreter Umweltziele. Auch hier soll die Untersuchung durch Beispiele aus verschiedenen Bereichen ergänzt werden.
Der Enquête-Kommission gehören elf Abgeordnete des Deutschen Bundestages sowie elf Sachverständige an: jeweils fünf Abgeordnete und fünf Sachverständige sind von der CDU / CSU-Fraktion, vier Abgeordnete bzw. Sachverständige von der SPD-Fraktion benannt worden. Die Fraktionen BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN und der FDP haben jeweils ein Mitglied des Bundestages und eine/einen Sachverständige/n benannt, die Gruppe der PDS jeweils ein nicht-stimmberechtigtes Mitglied. Vorsitzende der Enquête-Kommission ist die Abgeordnete Frau Marion Caspers-Merk, SPD.
Mit einer zweitägigen Expertenanhörung am 4. und 5. Oktober 1995 hat die Enquête-Kommission ihre Arbeit zum Thema Umweltziele aufgenommen. Experten des In- und Auslands (Club of Rome, österreichisches Umweltministerium, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt und Energie, Umweltbundesamt) haben ihre Ansätze vorgestellt.
(Quelle: Bundestags-Drucksache 13/1533 vom 31.05.1995)
Kontakt
Ministerialrat Friedhelm Dreyling
Deutscher Bundestag
Enquête-Kommission "Schutz des
Menschen und der Umwelt"
Bundeshaus, D-53113 Bonn
Tel.: 0228/16-29079
Fax: 0228/16-26004
The "NATO Science Progamme" offers support for information exchange and scientific cooperation between researchers from NATO countries and from East and Central European cooperation partner countries in the field of science and technology policy research.
An Overview
In addition to its well known political and military dimensions, NATO has a "Third Dimension" which seeks to encourage interaction between peoples, to consider some of the challenges facing our modern society and to foster development of Science and Technology. The NATO Science Programme is a major component of this Third Dimension.
The activities of the NATO Science Committee enhance science and technology by facilitating international scientific cooperation. The transatlantic link has been and remains a major feature of this cooperation. Recently, links with the CIS and Central and Eastern Europe, NATO's Cooperation Partners, have also become an important aspect of the NATO Science Programme. Following consultation with representatives of the Cooperation Partner countries, a number of priority areas were selected for support. Besides disarmament technologies, environmental security, and high technology, science and technology policy is one of the priority areas selected. This priority area includes problems related to human resources including science policy, technology transfer, innovation, management, intellectual property rights and career mobility (e.g. the redeployment of defence-industry scientists).
Activities supported
The support mechanisms for tackling problems in the priority areas are Advanced Study Institutes, Advanced Research Workshops, Collaborative Research Grants, Linkage Grants and Expert Visits. Although applications for these activities may be submitted by either NATO or Cooperation Partner (CP) scientists, applications in the Priority Areas must involve cooperation between both NATO and CP scientists.
Advanced Study Institutes (ASIs)
The objectives of an ASI are to promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge, to impart experience and to foster professional contacts among scientists. Opportunities are offered to leading scientists (ASI directors) to organize advanced meetings of a tutorial character, typically of a duration of ten working days, involving 12 to 15 lecturers with an audience of 60 to 80 post-doctoral level "students". ASIs in the priority areas should be co-directed by a scientist from a CP country and a scientist from a NATO country; they may be held in a NATO country or a CP country. Funds are provided to ASI directors to cover organization expenditures, the travel and living expenses of lecturers and to contribute to the travel and living expenses of the ASI students.
Advanced Research Workshop (ARWs)
The objective of an Advanced Research Workshop is to contribute
to the critical assessment of existing knowledge on new important
topics, to identify directions for future research, and to promote
close working relations between scientists from different countries
and with different professional experience. They are working meetings
of between 20 and 50 participants lasting from two to five days.
ARWs should be in priority areas and co-directed by a scientist
from a CP country and a scientist from a NATO country; they may
be held in either a NATO country or a CP country. Funding is provided
to ARW directors to cover organizational expenses, the travel
and living expenses of key speakers and to contribute to the travel
and living expenses of other participants.
Collaborative Research Grants (CRGs)
The objective of a CRG is to stimulate collaboration between research
scientists. CRGs are available for collaboration between researchers
in NATO countries and researchers in Cooperation Partner countries
in the priority areas. Funding is provided for reciprocal visits
abroad of from one to four weeks for one or two members of research
teams collaborating on a joint research project.
Linkage Grants (LGs)
The objective of Linkage Grants is to promote cooperation between research teams from Cooperation Partner countries, with the aim of undertaking joint research projects that are in the priority areas. Funding is available for reciprocal short visits abroad for four or five members of research teams over a period of one to two years. For laboratories in Cooperation Partner countries a contribution may be requested towards acquisition of scientific equipment of modest cost, or expenditure on electronic communication needs, essential for and specific to the project. Linkage grants may be bilateral or multilateral.
Expert Visits (EVs)
The objective of Expert Visits is to allow high-level specialists from NATO countries and from CP countries to benefit from one another's expertise in the Priority Areas. Grants support the travel and living expenses of experts from CP countries visiting research laboratories in NATO countries, and vice versa, for consultation on current research projects. The duration of visits may range from a few days to a maximum of one month.
Applications for Funding
Specific application forms and Notes for Applicants are available from the NATO Scientific Affairs Division for each of these activities. Scientists from NATO countries and Cooperation Partner countries can apply for support for topics in the Priority Areas.
The Science Programme is managed by the staff of the NATO Scientific Affairs Division, under the overall policy guidance of the NATO Science Committee, and with the assistance of a number of panels of scientists advising on particular programmes. More detailed information on the priority areas and on the individual activities may be obtained from the address below.
(Source: Brochure on the NATO Science
Programme, November 1994)
For further information
NATO Scientific Affairs Division
B-1110 Brussels, Belgium
Tel.: (32-2)-728-4111
Fax: (32-2)-728-4232
The "Centre for Science Research and Statistics" was established in 1991 under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Technological Policy (MSTP) of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of the Sciences. It combined groups of scholars from government research centres and academic institutes specialized in R&D statistics, policy studies, forecasting, and related areas.
Objectives
The main objectives of the CSRS activities are as follows:
- to develop R&D and innovation statistics in the Russian Federation, to supply policy-makers with comprehensive, up-to-date and internationally comparable data;
- to analyze and forecast trends in S&T;
- to draw recommendations on development and implementation of the national S&T policy;
- to publish and disseminate statistical data, analytical reviews and policy studies to inform Russian and international communities on the national S&T system in Russia.
Research Activities
The CSRS research activities include the following:
Statistics
The CSRS is officially authorized by the MSTP and the State Committee on Statistics of the Russian Federation as responsible for the methodology of R&D and innovation statistics in Russia. The CSRS develops new indicators of R&D resources (personnel, expenditure, fixed assets), R&D output, innovation, higher education, as well as methods of surveying, in order to adjust Russian R&D and innovation statistics to international standards.
The Centre develops new questionnaires for national R&D and innovation surveys and conducts various ad-hoc surveys.
In order to compare R&D potential of Russia with those of the OECD countries special methods of international comparison of R&D indicators are being developed at the CSRS.
Analysis of R&D and Innovation in Russia
The CSRS provides governmental agencies and scientific community with detailed analysis of R&D and innovation in Russia, covering:
_ S&T labor market
_ R&D fixed assets
_ R&D funding, e.g. government budget
funding of R&D
_ Conversion of defense research
_ Patenting, trade in licenses
_ Development and introduction of new
products and technologies
_ Expenditure on innovations
_ High-tech industries
_ Trends in information sectors and tele
communications
_ Comparative analysis of R&D indicators in Russia and abroad.
Higher Education System
The higher education in Russia is closely related to the S&T system. That is why the CSRS pays attention to the analysis of trends and situation in the higher education system. The Centre's studies cover the infrastructure of higher education institutes, economic mechanisms and financing of higher education, the system of postgraduate training, R&D performed in universities.
Sociology
The CSRS provides regular sociological studies related to S&T and education in Russia. Special efforts are devoted to monitoring public opinion on S&T. Besides, a lot of case studies are being performed (institutions, money income of researchers, S&T careers, innovation climate, etc.).
S&T and Innovation Policies
Development of national policies in S&T and innovation is one of the most urgent problems for Russia. Among the comprehensive studies provided by the CSRS in this area there are:
_ Macroeconomic background of S&T and innovation policies
_ Recommendations on priorities of the
national S&T policy
_ Institutional framework of R&D and inno
vation
_ R&D financing mechanisms, tax and
credit policies
_ Academy-industry relations
_ Federal research centres, small innova
tion enterprises, technoparks, etc.
_ International S&T co-operation.
Forecasting and Estimations
The CSRS, basing on various methodologies of forecasting (statistical models, input-output tables, expert estimations et al.), provides short-term, medium-term and long-term forecasts of economic situation, R&D indicators, technological changes, priorities of S&T development.
Technologies
The CSRS provides studies on monitoring and analysis of technological development in Russia. It covers the technological structure of industry with special attention paid to analysis, forecasting and development of mechanisms stimulating high technologies, their impact on the national economy.
Information Policy
The studies of institutional framework and economic mechanisms
of information policy in Russia are being performed by the Centre.
They are focused on monitoring and evaluation of the current state
of information resources (especially S&T information).
Data Bases and Software
The most comprehensive information on R&D and innovation studies, R&D-performing units, ad-hoc studies results is stored in data bases containing large variety of data series. Information is being annually updated and completed.
The CSRS develops original software for data processing and statistical modelling.
The CSRS develops the MSTP telecommunications system "InfoScience" providing remote access to information resources for decision-makers in the S&T sphere in Russia.
International Co-operation
The CSRS has established collaborations with numerous international organizations.
Publications
The CSRS annually publishes a wide range of information materials: statistical data books, analytical reviews, case publications, information bulletins, foreign books translated into Russian. Most of the CSRS editions are published both in Russian and in English.
For a list of publications and further information, contact CSRS at the address below.
(Source: CSRS flyer, abridged)
Centre for Science Research and Statistics
11, Tverskaya Street
Moscow 103905, Russia
Tel.: +7-095-229 47 40
Fax: +7-095-924 28 28 +7-095-882 05 87
E-mail:
Sokolov@statsc.msk.su
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ENER - the European Network for Energy Economics Research
Energy policies, traditionally national preserves, have become increasingly determined in international arenas, and nowhere more so than in the European Union. In view of these movements towards more international and more environmentally responsive energy policies, researchers from IEFE (Institute of Energy Economics, Bocconi University, Milan), IEPE (Institute of Energy Policy and Economics, University of Grenoble) and SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex) made a cooperation agreement in September 1985 to promote better communication among the groups and stimulate joint research activities. Since then the activities of the Network have been financially supported by the European Commissions Directorate General for Energy (DG XVII).
These three institutes formed the core of ENER which has since grown to include FhG/ISI (Fraunhofer Institute of Systems and Innovation Research, Karlsruhe) in 1988, CEEETA (Centre for the Economic Study of Energy, Transport and the Environment, Lisbon) in 1989 and GIEE (Inter University Group on Energy Studies, Madrid) in 1992. In 1995, the Systems Analysis Department of Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, the Policy Study Unit of the Netherlands Energy Research Foundation (ECN), Petten, and the Study Centre on Technology, Energy and Environment (STEM) Antwerpen, joined the network as associate members.
Sixteen issues of the ENER Bulletin were published between 1986 and 1995. The topics cover a wide range of issues of energy policy and economics research.
ENER has organised 19 joint seminars, two each year. These are attended by researchers from each member institute, but also by experts from other EU member countries and representatives of energy supply industries, governments, the EU and the IEA.
Exchanges: Research and Staff
These activities take place both bilaterally and multilaterally, including:
_ Cooperation between SPRU and IEPE in coordinating the CEC-funded Cooperative Programme on Energy and Development (COPED).
_ The Methodology of the Energy Conservation Indicators carried out by FhG/ISI was discussed in detail with IEPE and SPRU.
_ Visits and information exchange between SPRU and IEPE on nuclear issues, and between SPRU and IEFE on power plant issues, 1987-90 and 1994.
_ Close collaboration between researchers from IEPE and IEFE on issues of electricity industry organisation in the EU in 1989-91.
_ Cooperation between FhG/ISI on the evaluation of recent energy demand projections in industrialised countries in 1991-92.
_ Participation of SPRU and FhG/ISI under the coordination of IEPE in the CEC-funded project Long-term Energy Trends and the Development of the POLES model, 1993-95.
_ Cooperation between GIEE, IEPE, FhG/ISI and IEFE in Central and Eastern European Energy Planning, 1992-95.
Joint Research and Consultancy Advice to the Commission
In the coming years the Network is seeking to build on its contacts and bilateral activities and offer joint consultancy and research services. It aims to increase its role in providing independent advice and analysis to the Commission and other European policy participants. As a first step towards this goal, Network members have formed the core of a consortium studying the obstacles to the participation of regional governments in the Internal Energy Market.
Addresses of full members:
CEEETA
Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
Rua Miguel Lúpi, 20
P-1200 Lisboa
Tel.: +351-1-/60 10 43
Fax: +351-1/39 52 490
FhG/ISI
Breslauer Straße 48
D-76139 Karlsruhe
Tel.: +49-721/68 09-0
Fax: +49-721/68 91 52
GIEE
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Ramiro de Maeztu 7
E-28040 Madrid
Tel.: +34-1/336 71 41
Fax: +34-1/544 21 49
IEPE
Université des Sciences Sociales de Grenoble
B.P. 47 X Centre de Tri
F-38040 Grenoble CEDEX
Tel.: +33-76/42 45 84
Fax: +33-76/51 45 27
IEFE
Università Commerciale L. Bocconi
Viale Filippetti 9
I-20122 Milano
Tel.: +39-2/5836-1
Fax: +39-2/5836 38 90
SPRU
University of Sussex
Mantell Building
Falmer, BN1 9RF
East Sussex, UK
Tel.: +44-273/68 67 58
Fax: +44-273/68 58 65
(Source: ENER flyer, abridged and adapted by ITAS)
[Zum Seitenanfang]
Die Baden-Württembergische Multimedia-Enquête
setzt auf gebündelte Aktion und gesellschaftlichen Konsens
von Hans Dieter Köder
Die Multimedia-Enquêtekommission des baden-württembergischen Landtags hat am 20. Oktober 1995 ihren Bericht fertiggestellt und dem Parlament zugeleitet. Sie sieht für Baden-Württemberg gute Chancen, an der Spitze des technischen Fortschritts mitzuwirken und benennt dafür methodisch zwei Voraussetzungen. Alle Aktivitäten müssen institutionell stärker koordiniert und zu einer grossen Innovations- und Gestaltungsoffensive gebündelt werden. Dabei soll zweitens die gesellschaftliche Konsensbildung als kontinuierlicher Prozeß organisiert werden. Ihren einstimmig verabschiedeten Bericht wertet die Kommission als Einstieg in diese "mit großem Nachdruck" geforderte Konsensfindung.
Diese Einstimmigkeit - das sei betont - ist nicht mit nebulösen und unverbindlichen Formulierungen erkauft worden. Die Kommission hütet sich auch vor quantitativen Arbeitsplatzverheiüngen. Sie weist nüchtern darauf hin, daß die neue Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik nicht nur eine große Wertschöpfungskette, sondern zugleich auch einen rasanten Fortschritt der internationalen Arbeitsteilung und weitere Produktivitätssprünge auslösen wird. Dennoch warnt sie vor dem Rückzug auf den Status quo: "Wer durch Multimediaeinsatz Arbeitsplätze gefährdet sieht, muß bedenken, daß Arbeitsplätze, die nicht so produktiv organisiert sind, wie sie es nach dem Stand der Technik sein könnten, auf Dauer nicht finanzierbar und damit sowohl selbst in noch größerem Umfang gefährdet sein werden als auch weitere Arbeitsplätze in anderen Bereichen gefährden können".
Als Schlüsselfrage bezeichnet es die Enquêtekommission, "ob der Multimediaansatz nur 'on top' aufgesetzt oder auch gezielt zur Strukturveränderung genutzt wird". "Bei dem Einsatz 'on top' werden sich die bestehenden Finanzierungsprobleme vergrößern und der gegenwärtige Leistungsstandard wird nicht haltbar sein. Bei strukturveränderndem Einsatz können sich neue Optionen als realisierbar darstellen, weil Leistungen schneller und preiswerter erbracht werden können". Gesellschaftliche Reformen werden also als Bedingung für die Finanzierbarkeit des technischen Fortschritts angesehen.
Unter den dargestellten Vorbedingungen sieht die Kommission durchaus gute Entwicklungschancen für Baden-Württemberg. Das Land habe mit seiner industriellen Erfahrung, vor allem aber durch seine vielseitige Hochschul- und Forschungslandschaft ausreichendes Potential, um "neue Produkte, Dienste und Inhalte für die weltweiten Netze zu entwickeln". Man dürfe sich nicht nur als Opfer der weltweiten Arbeitsteilung sehen, sondern müsse sich diese auch gezielt nutzbar machen. Nachdem in der öffentlichen Diskussion die Globalisierung der Wirtschaft bisher nur unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Bedrohung einheimischer Arbeitsplätze gesehen wurde, ist dies ein neuer gedanklicher Zugang unter dem Leitsatz "global denken, lokal handeln".
Konsens und gestaltender Eingriff spielen für die Enquêtekommission durchgängig eine entscheidende Rolle. "Die Kommission legt großen Wert darauf, daß Parlament, Regierung, Wirtschaft und gesellschaftliche Gruppen sich auf das gemeinsame Erkennen von Trends, Risiken und Chancen und vor diesem Hintergrund auf das Nutzen der Vorteile verständigen, die für das Land Baden-Württemberg in dieser frühen Phase der Entwicklung gegeben sind. Gerade weil viele Fragen noch offen, weil Weichenstellungen in der Technikentwicklung ebenso wie in den wirtschaftlichen Aktivitäten möglich sind und weil eine Stimulierung von wirtschaftlichem, öffentlichem und privatem Engagement zugunsten von Multimedia-Infrastrukturen aussichtsreich erscheint, sieht die Kommission Chancen, den weltweiten Formierungsprozeß auch für das Land Baden-Württemberg nutzbar zu machen".
Diese Optionen werden, bezogen auf die baden-württembergische Wirtschaftsstruktur, im einzelnen aufgezeigt. Sie werden vor allem bei den Diensten und Inhalten und dort wiederum schwergewichtig in den Sektoren Bildung und Wissenschaft gesehen. Dort kommen in Baden-Württemberg zwei glückliche Umstände zusammen, nämlich der gut ausdifferenzierte Wissenschaftsbereich auf der einen und die ausgeprägte Struktur von Fachverlagen auf der anderen Seite. Beide Kompetenzen müssen unter staatlicher Moderation zusammengeführt werden. Auch hierbei ist ein globaler Denkansatz notwendig. Die Kommission weist darauf hin, daß zum Beispiel die deutschen Medizin- und Ingenieurausbildungsgänge in einigen Staaten der Welt einen guten Ruf haben. Das bedeutet, daß multimediale Lehr- und Lernmittel nicht nur für den eigenen Bedarf entwickelt werden dürfen, sondern im Netz mehrsprachig angeboten werden müssen, um die hohen Entwicklungskosten durch Skalenerträge finanzieren zu können. Andere als wichtig eingestufte Handlungsfelder sind vor allem die Verkehrstelematik, das Umweltinformationssystem und neue partizipationsfördernde Bürgerinformationsdienste. Unter allen Akteuren gemeinsam zu entwickelnde innovative Formen der Telekooperation und der Telearbeit sollen insbesondere für die in Baden-Württemberg häufig anzutreffenden kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen nutzbar gemacht werden. Ein noch wenig bestelltes, aber sehr ergiebiges Handlungsfeld sieht die Enquêtekommission in der automatisierten Wissenserschlieüng durch Filter, Broker und Navigatoren.
Die Multimedia-Enquête des baden-württembergischen Landtags hat nicht nur aktuelle gesellschaftliche Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten, sondern auch einen neuen kooperativen Politikstil aufgezeigt, der ihr notwendig erscheint, um in einer globalisierten Wirtschaft frühzeitig neue Optionen zu erkennen und mit möglichst wenig Reibungsverlusten zu nutzen. Selbstverständlich mußten in der kurzen Beratungszeit von sieben Monaten, von der ersten Anhörung bis zur Fertigstellung des Berichts gerechnet, einige wichtige ungeklärte Fragen, vor allem im rechtlichen Umfeld, offen bleiben. Die Kommission empfiehlt dazu, bei den laufenden Pilotprojekten soweit wie möglich mit Experimentierklauseln zu arbeiten und aus den dabei gewonnenen Erfahrungen Vorschläge für die ohnehin notwendige internationale Abstimmung abzuleiten. Die Multimedia-Entwicklung ist aus ihrer Sicht nicht als einmalige Veranstaltung mit vordefinierten Regeln, sondern als ein fortlaufender Erkenntnis- und Gestaltungsprozeß zu verstehen.
Der Bericht der Enquêtekommission kann in Papierform und als Hypertext-Diskette auf der Basis des Windows-Hilfesystems bei der Landtagsverwaltung angefordert werden (Herr Berberich, Tel. 0711/2063-222, Fax 2063-232). Er ist außerdem im Internet unter der Adresse "ftp//ftp uni-stuttgart de/pub/org/ Multimedia-Enquête" abrufbar.
Kontakt
Hans Dieter Köder
Mitglied des Landtags von
Baden-Württemberg
Vors. der Enquêtekommission Multimedia
Seestraße 28, D-71144 Steinenbronn
Tel.: 07157/520047; Fax: 07157/520048
Landtag:
Tel.: 0711/2063-754; Fax: 0711/2063-710
E-mail:
100071.3111@compuserve.com