Technology assessment (TA) as one concept of interdisciplinary problem-oriented research, policy consulting (such as parliamentary TA) and public dialogue, has the goal of supporting society and policy-making by understanding the problems connected to the grand socio-technical challenges of our time, as well as in assessing the available options for managing them. The hope is to identify socially sound, “stable”, resilient and practical ways to deal with these technological challenges.
In modern societies technologies are the basis for economic welfare. They shape the everyday life of human beings. In most cases, technologies are invented, implemented and applied in an unquestioned way. However, the experience of severe technical accidents, environmental catastrophes, and failed projects has led to a loss of the general confidence in the function and services of technological systems.
