München, 19. - 20. April 1999

Der Einsatz von Biomasse zur Energieerzeugung gewinnt an Attraktivität. Insbesondere Holz in Form von Altholz, Restholz oder Produktionsrückständen, aber auch andere organische Ausgangsstoffe werden in zunehmendem Maße genutzt und als umweltfreundliche Energielieferanten erkannt. Damit verbunden sind sowohl Fragen nach neuen und effizienten Techniken und Verfahren sowie der Wirtschaftlichkeit und Förderung von Anlagen zur energetischen Nutzung von Biomasse.

Der Anteil von Energie aus Biomasse beträgt in Deutschland etwa 0,5 % vom Gesamtenergieverbrauch. Gegenwärtig werden damit nach Schätzungen des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Technologie jedoch lediglich rund 5 % des theoretisch nutzbaren Potentials ausgeschöpft. Maßgeblich für die weitere Entwicklung der energetischen Nutzung sind vor allem die Möglichkeiten zum wirtschaftlicheren Betrieb von Biomasseanlagen. Dabei wird insbesondere die Vermarktung von "grünem" Strom eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Vielfältige Chancen eröffnen sich in diesem Zusammenhang durch die Liberalisierung der Energiewirtschaft. Vor allem die Möglichkeiten von Preisdifferenzierungen könnten äußerst positive Effekte auf den verstärkten Einsatz der Biomasse als Energieträger ausüben.

Informieren Sie sich auf dieser Konferenz über:

• die politischen Rahmenbedingungen
• die verschiedenen Fördermöglichkeiten für Biomasseanlagen
• die Wirtschaftlichkeit von Anlagen und Verfahren
• die ökologischen Vor- und Nachteile
• den aktuellen Stand der Forschung hinsichtlich innovativer Verfahren und Einsatzmöglichkeiten
• die Vermarktungschancen im Rahmen von "Green Pricing"
• die Mitverbrennung von Biomasse in Kohlefeuerungen
• die praktischen Erfahrungen bei Errichtung und Betrieb von Biomasseanlagen.

EUROFORUM Deutschland GmbH
Postfach 230265, D-40088 Düsseldorf
Tel.: + 49 (0) 211/9686-300 oder
Tel.: + 49 (0) 211/9686-518 (Frau Daniela Molicki)
Fax: + 49 (0) 211/9686-509
E-mail: anmeldung@euroforum.com
Internet: http://www.euroforum.com

Karlsruhe, 6. - 7. Mai 1999

" ... den gesellschaftlichen Dialog über Technik fördern ..." heißt das Ziel des 1998 gegründeten Karlsruher Forum Ethik in Recht und Technik e.V. Mit dem Dialog wollen die Initiatoren "innovative" und "tragfähige" Orientierungen geben. Sie gehen davon aus, daß erst mit breiter gesellschaftlicher Akzeptanz moderne Technik ihr gesellschaftliches und wirtschaftliches Innovationspotential entfalten kann - wenn und soweit sie denn als "akzeptabel" gelten kann; andernfalls sind ihre Grenzen aufzuzeigen.

Die Auftaktveranstaltung (in der Karlsruher Stadthalle, Hans-Thoma-Saal, und im Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie) am 6. (spätnachmittags und abends) und 7. Mai 1999 (vormittags) widmet sich dem Generalthema: "Zwischen Fortschrittsoptimismus und Risikoscheu: Technik auf dem Weg ins 21. Jahrhundert".

Herrmann Lübbe (Universität Zürich) geht auf "kulturelle und politische Folgen der wissenschaftlich-technischen Evolution" ein. Die Präsidentin des Bundesverfassungsgerichts, Jutta Limbach, diskutiert mit dem Karlsruher Technikphilosophen und Ethiker Hans Lenk (Vizepräsident der Féderation Internationale des Societés de Philosophie) und mit dem Leverkusener Forschungsmanager Hauke Fürstenwerth über "Technik zwischen Eigennutz und Gemeinwohl" über die Frage: "Wieviel Innovation braucht, wieviel Innovation verträgt die Gesellschaft?"

Eve-Marie Engels vom Zentrum für Ethik in den Wissenschaften und Lehrstuhl für Ethik in den Biowissenschaften der Universität Tübingen erörtert anhand aktueller bioethischer Streitfragen wie Embryonenforschung und Xenotransplantation insbesondere "Die gesellschaftliche Wahrnehmung von Risiken". Die Professorin für Festkörperelektronik an der Technischen Universität Illmenau, Dagmar Schipanski (Weltkommission zur Ethik in Wissenschaft und Technologie), wird u.a. eingehen auf "Die Moralisierung von Sachfragen: die Wohlstandsfalle". Der Vizepräsident des Bundesverfassungsgerichts, Karlsruhe, Hans-Jürgen Papier, widmet sich u.a. der Frage: "Das Recht: neutraler Bewerter, ethisches Korrektiv oder Bremse für Technik?".

Im Rahmen der Veranstaltung wird Peter Weibel, der neue Vorstand des Zentrums für Kunst und Medientechnologie, das ZKM vorstellen und mit Interessierten diskutieren. Das Multimedia-Museum des ZKM steht den Tagungsteilnehmern bei dem Empfang im ZKM am Donnerstag abend offen.

Ausführliche Informationen und Tagungsunterlagen sind erhältlich bei:

Geschäftsstelle Karlsruher Forum
Dr. Ekkehard Fulda
Weberstraße 5
D-76133 Karlsruhe
Tel.: + 49 (0) 721 / 830 52 44
Fax: + 49 (0) 721 / 84 31 67
E-mail: karlsruher-forum@fzk.de

Athens, Greece, 13 - 16 May 1999

An international conference on sustainable development and spatial planning will be held in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 16 May 1999. The event will be sponsored by the European Commission and will be organised by the Laboratory for Spatial Planning and Urban Development of the National Technical University of Athens. The conference will address the theme "Sustainable development and spatial planning in the European territory: Prospects for the 21st century in the EU, its Member States, the Balkans and the Black Sea countries". The aims of the conference include:

• Exploring the role of spatial planning, urban and regional, in the promotion of sustainable development at all geographical levels;

• Offering the opportunity for a discussion on the theoretical foundations and policy making experience of sustainable spatial development and planning;

• Providing a forum for the exchange of views and experiences between the EU and countries in the Balkan region and the European coastal zone of the Black Sea.

The conference organisers are currently seeking the submission of abstracts of presentation during the conference on the key issue of "Sustainability: policies, projects and implementation".

The official languages of the conference will be English, French and Greek.

(Source: CORDIS focus)

For further information, please contact

National Technical University of Athens
Laboratory for Spatial Planning and Urban Development
Professor Wassenhoven
9 Iroon Polytechneioy
Zografos
GR-15773 Athens
Tel.: + 30-1-7721586
Fax: + 30-1-7721587
E-mail: rpud@upln.ntua.gr

FGSV-Tagung

Zukunftsfähige Mobilität in Stadt und Region

Bonn, 31. Mai - 1. Juni 1999

Die Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen veranstaltet vom 31. Mai bis 1. Juni 1999 in Bonn eine Diskussions- und Vortragsveranstaltung über die "Zukunftsfähige Mobilität in Stadt und Region". Die Veranstaltung umfaßt die folgenden sechs Themenblöcke:

• Beiträge zur Integration von Verkehrs- und Raumplanung
• Chancen und Risiken von Großeinrichtungen des Handels und der Freizeit
• Wirkungen und Chancen "virtueller Mobilität"
• Beiträge zur Integration der Verkehrsangebote
• Grundlagen und Analyse der Mobilitätsdaten
• Bewertung aus politischer Sicht.

Den Abschluß der Veranstaltung bildet eine "offene" Podiumsdiskussion zur "Zukunftsfähigkeit der Verkehrsentwicklung - Chance oder Illusion".

Kontakt

Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen-
und Verkehrswesen
Fr. Schmidt
Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 13
D-50996 Köln
Tel.: + 49 (0) 221 / 93583-15
Fax: + 49 (0) 221 / 93583-73
E-mail: fgsv@netcologne.de

sowie

Fr. Lange
Boyenstr. 42
D-10115 Berlin
Tel.: + 49 (0) 30 / 28388927
Fax: + 49 (0) 30 / 28388928

Lemnos, Greece, 31 May - 2 June 1999

ECOSUD'99, the second international conference on ecosystems and sustainable development, will be held in Lemnos, Greece, from 31 May to 2 June 1999. The conference will be organised by the Wessex Institute of Technology, United Kingdom, and the University of Jaume I, Spain.

The aim of the event is to encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary communication amongst scientists, engineers, economists and professionals working in ecological systems and sustainable development. It will provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of recent work on the engineering and modelling aspects of this field. Emphasis will be given to those areas that will benefit most from the application of scientific methods for sustainable development aimed at the conservation of natural systems in developed as well as developing countries.

Research results in the following main areas will be discussed during the conference:

• Development economics: international and industrial application;
• Conservation, management and recovery of endangered and degraded areas;
• Modelling of natural and human ecosystems.

(Source: CORDIS focus)

For further information, please contact

Wessex Institute of Technology
ECOSUD '99
Ms Clare Duggan
Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst
Southampton SO40 7AA, UK
Tel.: + 44-1703-293223
Fax: + 44-1703-292852
E-mail: eduggan@wessex.ac.uk
Internet: http://www.wessex.ac.uk

Hamburg, Germany, 14 - 15 June 1999

As part of a series of events launched by the German Presidency in the first half of 1999, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will be hosting an international foresight conference. Forward Thinking: Keys to the Future in Education and Research will take place in Hamburg, Germany, on 14 - 15 June 1999.

The conference aims at identifying possibilities in education and research which can be realized to increase European competitiveness and create new networks of science, industry and policy in Europe. It will also explore the interaction between technological trends and the social and economic environment. Through the conference activities the BMBF hopes to stimulate Europe-wide Technology Foresight activities.

Four panels will focus discussions on the following issues:

• Trends and Challenges in Industrial Technology: The culture of forward thinking. Representatives from different industrial sectors will discuss new approaches to handling the impact of research developments and societal changes on industry;

• Major Forces for Change and their potential Impact on Education. Representatives from different educational systems will discuss the way technical and societal developments influence education and educational systems;

• Action Agenda for State-funded Science and Policy. Experiences with national Foresight processes will be exchanged to aid in identifying the "action agenda" necessary to follow in state-funded research and policy;

• Coherence and Disparities in Forward Thinking in Europe. Foresight experts from the EU Member States and from the candidate countries will discuss differences in methodology and key objectives with a view to an unified Europe.

Participating countries can present their national Foresight concepts and measures. The conference language will be English.

(Source: CORDIS focus)

Congress secretariat

CCH-Congress Organization
P.O. Box 30 24 80
D-20308 Hamburg
Tel.: + 49-40-35692341
Fax: + 49-40-35692269
E-mail: forward.thinking@cch.de

Scientific coordination
VDI Technology Center
Future Technologies Division
Graf-Recke-Straße 84
D-40239 Düsseldorf
Tel.: + 49-211-6214494
Fax: + 49-211-6214484
E-mail: westphalen@vdi.de

General coordinator
Federal Ministry of Education & Research
General Policy Issues and Strategies
Heinemannstraße 2
D-53175 Bonn
Tel.: + 49-228-573892
Fax: + 49-228-572267
E-mail: matthias.hack@bmbf.bund400.de

The organisation for intelligent transport systems in Europe (ERTICO) will hold a congress and exhibition in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 14 to 17 June 1999. The event will be supported by the European Commission, the Dutch Ministry for Transport and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Netherlands. It will be targeted at senior transport policy makers, executives and other decision makers with an interest in ITS. The event will provide participants with the opportunity to exchange information, share ideas and view the latest ITS technologies. It will comprise a series of parallel and poster sessions, showcases and technical visits to give an overview of the ITS industry in Europe and how it is being deployed at the moment. It will focus on five main areas of application covering airports, ports, cities, regions, as well as travel and tourism. The results of research projects undertaken within the EU's Fourth RTD Framework Programme will also be presented. The exhibition will provide participants with the opportunity to see and experience applications in areas such as vehicle detection and navigation, aircraft control, driver assistance, traffic management, public transport, incident management, freight and fleet management and digital mapping.

(Source: CORDIS focus)

For further information, please contact

ERTICO
ITS Congress Association
Ms Hélène Feuillat or Ms Sandrine Keller
61 rue de la Regence
B-1000 Brussels
Tel.: + 32-2-5500030
Fax: + 32-2-5500031
E-mail: h.feuillat@mail.ertico.com
Internet: http://www.itseurope99.com/

To raise the awareness among regions, towns and cities on the benefits of telematics technologies applied to regional development, a conference on the subject will be held in Tanum, Sweden, on 15 and 16 June 1999. The conference will be based on the results of European joint pilot projects.

According to the organisers, the conference, which is supported by the European Programme, will focus on two major keynotes: telematics for regional development; and the economy of telematics services.

The presentations will be related to European telematics projects contributing to the themes of the conference:

• Rural development: How telematics can fight against isolation and help to network rural communities;
• Case studies on economic benefits of new telematics services;
• Transfers between cities and regions: How to extend urban telematics services to cover the wider territory of the regions;
• Teledemocracy and culture heritage;
• Regional telematics services to support small and medium-sized enterprises;
• Social inclusion: How telematics can support the social cohesion of various types of communities at the regional level;
• Quality of life;
• Reorganisation of work in European regions.

In addition to the event, a wide range of existing telematics applications will be demonstrated within the cyber-café.

The official languages of the conference will be English and Swedish.

(Source: CORDIS fous)

For further information, please contact

EDC coordination office
c/o Eurocities
18 Square de Meeus
B-1050 Brussels
Tel.: + 32-2-5520868
Fax: + 32-2-5520889
E-mail: telecities@merl.poptel.org.uk
Internet: http://www.edc.eu.int/events/

VDEW-Kongreß 1999

"Strom an der Schwelle zum nächsten Jahrtausend"

Der VDEW-Kongreß 1999, herausragendes Forum für den Erfahrungsaustausch zwischen hochrangigen Entscheidungsträgern der Elektrizitätswirtschaft, thematisiert dieses Mal die tiefgreifenden Veränderungen, die die Branche derzeit erfährt.

Über die Plenumsvorträge und Podiumsdiskussionen zu "Internationalisierung, Europa und die liberalisierte Energiewirtschaft", "Energieszenarien weltweit" und "Global Players in Europa" hinaus haben die Teilnehmer die Gelegenheit, sich in kleineren Foren intensiver mit folgenden Themen auseinanderzusetzen:

• Nachhaltigkeit im nächsten Jahrtausend
• Europa - energiepolitischer Schrittmacher?
• Stromerzeugung und innovative Anwendungstechniken
• Kooperation und strategische Allianzen
• Stromhandel - Strombörse
• Vertrieb / Marketing
• Produktqualität im Netz.

Wie immer werden auf dem VDEW-Kongreß prominente Vertreter der deutschen Strombranche, sowie auch Persönlichkeiten aus der europäischen Energiewirtschaft anwesend sein, beispielsweise der Präsident der EDF, Francois Roussely, oder Ed A. Wallis von Powergen und Politiker wie Ministerpräsident Erwin Teufel, der neue Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Technologie, Herr Dr. Werner Müller, der Exekutivdirektor der UNEP Klaus Töpfer oder die Europa-Abgeordnete Dr. Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl aus Brüssel.

Die begleitende Fachausstellung bietet die Möglichkeit, neue Partner für die Aufgaben im nächsten Jahrtausend kennenzulernen und bestehende Kontakte zu vertiefen.

Kontakt

VWEW-Verlag GmbH
Kerstin Kindinger
Rebstöcker Straße 59
D-60326 Frankfurt am Main
Tel.: + 49 (0) 69 / 6304-314
Fax: + 49 (0) 69 / 6304-459
E-mail: kd@vwew.f.eunet.de

Die Themenblöcke dieses Fachkongresses, der im Rahmen der Fachausstellung "Mensch und Technik - Mit der Umwelt leben" der NATUMA '99 der Messe Offenburg stattfindet, sind:

Podiumsdiskussion "Klimaschutz in Europa"

Themenblock 1:
Klimaschutz in Kommunen und in der Industrie

Themenblock 2:
Bauen und Wohnen

Themenblock 3:
Erneuerbare und Alternative Energien

Themenblock 4:
Effizientes Ressourcenmanagement

Themenblock 5:
Das Verkehrswesen im Umbruch

sowie drei thematische Rahmenveranstaltungen.

Referenten aus ganz Europa werden vortragen. Die Konferenzsprache ist deutsch. Französische Beiträge werden simultan in deutsch übersetzt.

Organisation / Kongreßanfragen

STZ EURO
Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Energie-, Umwelt- und Reinraumtechnik
Badstraße 24a
D-77652 Offenburg
Tel.: + 49 (0) 781 / 78352
Fax: + 49 (0) 781 / 78353
E-mail: STZ.ER@T-Online.de

A workshop on "Expert judgement and accident consequences uncertainty analysis" will be held in Avifauna, The Netherlands, from 21 to 24 June 1999. It will be jointly organised by the European Commission and the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands.

The event will serve as a forum for the presentation of a major study which has been undertaken to estimate the uncertainty associated with the predictions in probabilistic accident consequences assessment codes. The study was carried out under the auspices of the European Commission's Nuclear Fission Safety research programme, in collaboration with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The first workshop will be on methods for experts judgement and uncertainty analysis and will have the following objectives:

• To evaluate and determine the strengths and limitations of the formal use of expert judgements as a means to get uncertainty distributions for parameters which are difficult to obtain by experiments or experience;

• To establish consensus on the uncertainty analysis methods to get generic uncertainty data on consequence assessment endpoints;

• To explore the need for further research in methods for, and use of, expert judgement for uncertainty analysis.

The second workshop will address uncertainty analysis of accident consequence predictions of the COSYMA code and its submodules and will have the following objectives:

• To present the results of the uncertainty analysis to a wider audience;

• To evaluate the methods used in deriving uncertainty estimates of COSYMA and each of its submodules;

• To provide generic estimates of uncertainty associated with COSYMA predictions for practical use by utilities and regulators.

Delft University of Technology
Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management Safety Science Group
Kanaalweg 2b
2628 EB Delft
The Netherlands
Tel.: + 31-15-2781477
Fax: + 31-15-2622235
E-mail: Gemma.vanderWindt@wtm.tudelft.nl

The World Conference on Science, the first global conference on science and society for almost 20 years, will take place in Budapest in June, organised jointly by the United Nations Eduational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the International Council for Science.

The conference will be held from 26 June 1999 until 1 July 1999. It will analyse where the natural sciences stand today and where they are heading, what their social impact has been and what society expects from them.

Finally, it will establish what efforts should be invested to make science advance in response to these expectations and to the challenges posed by human and social development.

The conference will address and involve national governments and institutions, educational and research establishments, members of the scientific community, the industrial sector, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as the media and the general public. All stakeholders with a vested interest in science and its role in societal development are welcome as active participants in the conference process, although participation in the conference itself will be by invitation only. A special role is to be played by the financial institutions and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, and those governmental and non-governmental bodies directly concerned with the scientific enterprise.

The conference will be an event at which policy makers, scientists and representatives of society in general can together discuss the above issues and arrive at a means of increasing the commitment to, and from, science.

A set of Web pages has been set up at the following address:

http://helix.nature.com/wcs/news.html

The pages are intended to act as a source of news about preparatory events leading up to the conference and issues related to its agenda, as a forum for comment and criticism from individuals in both industrialized and developing nations about such issues, and as an access point for information about related meetings (including the text of statements to be presented at Budapest).

For further information, please contact

Secretariat, World Conference on Science
UNESCO
7, place de Fontenoy
F-75352 Paris
Fax: + 33-1-45685823
E-mail: confsci@unesco.org
Internet: http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/programmes/science/wcs/eng/infoen.htm

Call for Papers

International Summer Academy on Technology Studies and Sustainability

Das Interuniversitäre Forschungszentrum für Technik, Arbeit und Kultur (IFZ) in Graz organisiert eine Sommerakademie zum Schwerpunkt "Technology Studies and Sustainability".

"Technology Studies" als Überbegriff für vor allem ökonomische und sozialwissenschaftliche Zugänge zur Beschreibung und Erklärung der Dynamik technischen Wandels können neue und relevante Beiträge zu einer Technologiepolitik leisten, die sich verstärkt auf den Inhalt, den Gebrauchswert von Technologien, bezieht. Die Summer Academy soll dabei eine Möglichkeit bieten, gemeinsam mit eingeladenen internationalen ReferentInnen theoretische Analyseansätze in Verbindung mit praktischen Fragen sozial- und umweltverträglicher Technikgestaltung zu diskutieren.

Themenfelder der Summer Academy werden sein:

• The policy relevance of STS: how could technology studies contribute to sustainable development?
• Environmental technology policy - new paradigms and new approaches
• Analysing the discourse on sustainability and its relevance to agenda building
• Methods and instruments: constructive technology assessment, participative technology assessment, technology foresight
• Towards a green techno-economic paradigm.

Wichtiges Anliegen dieser Summer Academy ist auch, Kooperationen mit mittel- und osteuropäischen WissenschaftlerInnen und Interessierten aufzubauen, für welche das österreichische Wissenschaftsministerium Stipendien zur Verfügung stellt.

Interessierte sind eingeladen, bis zum 6. April 1999 ein einseitiges Abstract (in englisch), das sich auf eines der o.g. Hauptthemen bezieht, und eine kurze Skizze des eigenen Forschungsbereiches an das IFZ zu schicken.

Weitere Informationen

Harald Rohracher
IFZ
Schlögelgasse 2
A-8010 Graz / Österreich
Tel.: + 43-316-813909-23
Fax: + 43-316-810274
E-mail: rohracher@ifz.big.ac.at

Call for Papers

Artificial Intelligence in Education

The ninth international conference on artificial intelligence in education will be held in Le Mans, France, from 19 to 23 July 1999. The conference is designed to highlight the latest research results in this field and to provide opportunities for the exchange of information and ideas on research and applications.

The theme will be "Open learning environments: new computational technologies to support learning, exploration and collaboration" and the conference organisers are currently seeking the submission of papers for presentation during the conference. The papers should explore the emerging roles of intelligent multimedia and distributed technologies, as well as computer supported collaborative learning possibilities.

The technical programme of the conference will focus on research activities linking artificial intelligence theories and techniques with educational theories and practice. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Authoring systems and tutoring shells;
• Cognitive development and diagnosis;
• Human factors and interface design;
• Intelligent multimedia and hypermedia systems;
• Modelling pedagogical interactions;
• Principles and tools for instructional design;
• Social and cultural aspects of learning;
• Computer assisted language learning.

McGill University
Department of Education and Counselling
Psychology , AI-ED '99
Dr. Susanne Lajoie (Programme Committee)
3700 McTavish Street
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Fax: + 1-514-3986968
E-mail: LAJOIE@Education.McGill.Ca
Internet: http://ai-ed99.univ-lemans.fr/scientific/inform.html

Urban Transport '99, the fifth international conference on urban transport and the environment, will be held in Rhodes, Greece, from 8 to 10 September 1999. The aim of the conference is to bring together engineers, scientists and managers working in industry, research organisations and government on the development of new technologies, planning and management of urban transportation systems.

The varied problems of urban transportation and relevant links with inter-urban transportation will be addressed during the conference. This will cover different types of transportation systems, such as roads, light railways and waterway facilities and will emphasise the integration of these different types of transport. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the exchange of information among the different people working on urban transportation studies, such as researchers, technologists, planners, as well as those in charge of transportation policies.

Topics to be covered in detail during the conference will be addressed within the following session headings:

• Urban transport systems;
• Emerging technologies;
• Environmental aspects;
• Planning, funding and management;
• Vehicles.

Wessex Institute of Technology
CMEM '99
Ms Sally Radford (Conference Secretariat)
Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst
Southampton SO40 7AA, UK
Tel.: + 44-1703-293223
Fax: + 44-1703-292853
E-mail: sradford@wessex.ac.uk

First Announcement
FIFTH International ASEAT Conference

Demand. Markets, Users and Innovation: Sociological and Economic Approaches

Over the last thirty years, the economics of technological change has discussed the relative importance of 'demand-pull' and 'discovery-push' as prime-movers of innovation; historians of science have modified internalist accounts of the development of scientific theories to bring in external social, economic and political influences; and in the sociology of science, technology and innovation, theories of social shaping or social construction have challenged technological determinism.

More recently, various approaches have proposed 'hybrid' theories that allow demand pull and discovery push, or social, economic, political and technical forces, to interact, or, in the case of actor-network theory, have attempted to cut across the debate by following human and non-human actors and privileging neither.

If an innovation is something that is both technologically novel and has either been the object of a commercial transaction or in some other way has become incorporated into the social fabric, then (by definition) it will not be successful if there is no demand for it - if users do not want it. Understanding user needs is now seen as one of the important factors in the success of innovation and it is one of the raisons d'etre of market research. But while we know how important demand, or understanding user needs, are in innovation, that does not tell us much about how they are actually detected or 'constructed' by innovators, if indeed this is a precursor to their being incorporated into innovations.

This is the FIFTH conference in the series Advances in Sociological and Economic Analysis of Technology, organised by CROMTEC. The contributions will particularly explore the role of demand and market signals in the innovation process or an understanding of the way in which user-needs may be incorporated in the development and design of innovative products and processes.

As in previous ASEAT conferences, contributions will be presented from all social science disciplines: sociology and economics as well as geography, anthropology, political science and others, all have approaches which have the potential to enrich our understanding.

Enquiries about this conference may be made to:

Rod Coombs +44 161 200 3435
Ken Green + 44 161 200 3432
Vivien Walsh + 44 161 200 3434
or Albert Richards + 44 161 200 3403
Manchester School of Management, UMIST
PO Box 88, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK
Fax: + 44 161 200 3505
E-mail: albert.richards@umist.ac.uk

Details about the previous ASEAT Conferences, and the subsequent publications can be found on the Conference page at the CROMTEC Web Site. This is on:

http://www.umist.ac.uk/UMIST_Cromtec/

This site, which is under constant development, also gives information about the CROMTEC Research Centre and its other activities. Enquiries about those other activities are welcomed.

Call for Papers

Standardisation and Innovation in Information Technology

A conference on standardisation and innovation in information technology will be held in Aachen, Germany, from 15 to 17 September 1999, organised by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the Technical University of Aachen. The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers and practitioners from disciplines such as telecommunications, technology studies, economics, business studies, management sciences, politics and computer science.

Innovation is crucial in order to remain competitive in today's environment and the deployment and utilisation of information technology systems and applications are particularly important in this respect. Standards have frequently been accused of hampering progress because of their slow development processes and an alleged lack of responsiveness to market needs. The interrelation between the innovation and standardisation process will therefore provide the focus for discussions.

The conference organisers are currently seeking the submission of papers for presentation during the conference. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The role of standards in the information structure;
• National and regional standardisation policies;
• Analysis of, and new models for, standardisation processes;
• The role of consortia in standards making;
• The economic dimension of IT standards;
• The impact of standards on innovation;
• Corporate innovation processes;
• National and regional innovation policies.

Technical University of Aachen
Computer Science Department, Informatik IV
Kai Jakobs
Ahornstraße 55
D-52074 Aachen
Tel.: + 49-241-8021405
Fax: + 49-241-8888220
E-mail: Kai.Jakobs@i4.informatik.rwth-aachen.de

Call for Papers

TELEWORK '99

"Telework '99: Making telework work for all" will be held in Aarhus, Denmark, on 22 - 24 September 1999. The objective of the conference is to ensure that businesses and society benefit from telework. Telework '99 will focus on two main themes. The first considers new ways of working, quality of life, family and community and environmental sustainability. The second theme will focus on the applications of telework for the business community.

The conference is aimed at decision makers from the private and public sectors and representatives from regions, corporates and SMEs. It is open to telework researchers, consultants and practitioners. The event is intended to provide an opportunity for exploring the opportunities offered by new technologies and new and innovative ways of using them. It also offers a chance to see how the newly-launched Fifth Framework Programme can be of assistance.

The event organisers, Tele Danmark and the European Commission's Directorate General XIII, are inviting suggestions for speakers and for possible conference events relevant to the theme "Making Telework work for all".

The conference will be held in English. There is no deadline given for suggestions for presentations.

(Source: CORDIS focus)

For further information, please contact

Tele Danmark Consult
P.O. Box 2245
DK-8660 Viby J
Tel.: + 45-86-286455
Fax: + 45-86-286499
E-mail: mail@telework99.dk
Internet: http://www.telework99.dk/AboutTheConference.html

VDI-Tagungsankündigung

Bahnen und Umwelt

Die Umweltfreundlichkeit der Bahnen allein erzeugt weder zusätzliche Nachfrage nach Leistungen, noch führt sie zu höheren Erträgen, auch wenn die Bahnen allgemein das Ansehen eines besonders umweltverträglichen Verkehrsträgers genießen. Diese gute Position können sie im Wettbewerb der Verkehrsträger nur unter Beachtung der folgenden unternehmenspolitischen Prämissen bewahren und als komparativen Wettbewerbsvorteil ausbauen:

• Das für die Gesellschaft wichtige Potential der Schiene zur Vermeidung von Umweltbeeinträchtigungen läßt sich nur dann ausschöpfen, wenn die Bahnen erfolgreich im Verkehrsmarkt agieren. Hier ist der direkte Bezug zwischen Ökologie und Ökonomie gegeben: Nur wirtschaftlich erfolgreiche Bahnen können ihren Umweltvorteil erhalten und ausbauen, denn bei steigender Auslastung der angebotenen Kapazitäten sinkt auch das Ausmaß an Umweltbeeinträchtigungen.

• Eine wesentliche Zielrichtung sind Maßnahmen, Planungen und Projekte, die zu ökologisch relevanten Reduzierungen bei Energiebedarf, Flächen- und sonstigem Ressourcenverbrauch sowie zur Senkung von Schallemissionen und Luftverunreinigungen führen.

• Zudem stehen die Bahnen vor der Erfordernis, die bei anderen Verkehrsträgern wesentlich höhere technische Innovationsdynamik aufzuholen oder nach Möglichkeit zu übertreffen.

Experten aus Industrie, Bahn, ÖPNV, Forschung und Lehre werden gebeten, in Vorträgen Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Umweltverträglichkeit der Bahnen darzustellen.

Schwerpunktthemen der Tagung

1. Beitrag der Bahnen zu einem umweltgerechten Verkehrssystem

2. Ressourcen
   • Flächenverbrauch und Trassierung
   • Energieverbrauch
   • Rohstoffverbrauch

3. Emissionen
   • Geräusche und Erschütterungen
   • Abgase
   • Abfälle
   • Abwasser

4. Visionen für künftige umweltfreundliche Bahnen

Tagungssprachen: Deutsch und Englisch (ohne Simultanübersetzung).

Im Rahmen einer begleitenden Fachausstellung im Foyer der Tagungsstätte können interessierte Firmen und Institutionen ihre Produkte, Verfahren und Leistungen zum Thema vorstellen und durch persönliche Beratung erläutern.

Anfragen sind zu richten an

VDI-Projekt- und Service GmbH
Postfach 10 11 39
D-40002 Düsseldorf
Tel.: + 49 (0) 211 / 6214-431/571
Fax: + 49 (0) 211 / 6214-164
E-mail: gps@vdi.de

European Transport Conference

The 27th European Transport Conference focusing on up-to-date policy issues, research findings and best practice across a broad spectrum of transport will take place in Cambridge on 27 - 29 September 1999. The UK conference aims to promote cooperation and discussion at an international level within the transport sector.

The seminar streams for the conference are:

• EU, Policy, Legislation and Research;
• Inter-urban Transport Systems;
• Transport Planning, Policy and Practice;
• Public Transport, Planning and Management;
• Traffic Management, Safety and Intelligent Transport Systems;
• Transportation Planning Methods.

The event will be held over three days. This will include three days of seminar programmes with two one-day conferences running alongside. The themes of these conferences will be the Business of Transport and Railway Restructuring.

The seminar stream on EU Policy, Legislation and Research will be chaired by a senior administrator from the international relations division of DG VII, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Transport.

(Source: CORDIS focus)

For further information, please contact

PTRC Glenthorne House
Hammersmith Grove
London W6 OLG, UK
Tel.: + 44-181-7411516
Fax: + 44-181-7415993
E-mail: info@aetransport.demon.co.uk
Internet: http://www.aetransport.demon.co.uk/