History of ITAS
ITAS was founded in 1995, but has a history of almost 60 years of technology assessment and systems analysis in Karlsruhe.
| 2025 | 30 years of ITAS |
| 2025 | Launch of the KIT Sustainable Futures Lab |
| 2024 | The first international handbook of TA, edited by Armin Grunwald, offers a comprehensive overview of the practices, theories, methods, and cultures of TA around the world. |
| 2024 | ITAS is the organizer of the international conference fPET – Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology in September in Karlsruhe. |
| 2024 |
In November, ITAS organizes the 11th conference of the Netzwerk TA (NTA) in Berlin. This also marks the 20th anniversary of the NTA. |
| 2023/24 |
TATuP is included in the databases of Scopus and the Web of Science. |
| 2023 | In April, ITAS opens Karl9 – Science hub for technology and society. |
| 2023 | First technology-oriented real-world labs at KIT: Start of participatory technology assessment (also on robotic AI) |
| 2023 | ITAS is re-commissioned to operate the TAB (continuous advice to the German Bundestag since 1990). |
| 2022 |
ITAS organizes the 5th European TA Conference in Karlsruhe. |
| 2021 | Torsten Fleischer and Rafaela Hillerbrand (until 2023) join the ITAS management as Deputy Heads of Institute. |
| 2020 |
30 years of TAB – Contributions to forward-looking and precautionary policy making |
| 2019 | Foundation of the globalTA network. |
| 2017 | The redesigned ITAS journal TATuP – Journal for Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice is published peer reviewed and open access. |
| 2016 | Constanze Scherz is appointed Deputy Head of Institute. |
| 2015 | 20 years of ITAS (year book) and 25 years of TAB (TAB Report). |
| 2015 | Michael Decker is appointed (with retrospective effect from October 2014) as the second Head of Institute. In October, he becomes Head of the KIT Division II “Informatics, Economics and Society.” |
| 2014 | Premiere of the public series of events technik.kontrovers. |
| 2013 | In March, the first European TA conference is held in Prague in March in the framework of the PACITA project. |
| 2012 | In September, the “Central Department of Technology-Induced Material Flows (ZTS)” becomes part of ITAS. |
| 2012 | As first real-world lab in Germany, District Future - Urban Lab starts the sustainable transformation of an existing city district in Karlsruhe. |
| 2012 | ITAS moves from Campus North to the former bank building Veith L. Homburger in Karlsruhe’s city center (Karlstraße 11). |
| 2010 |
TAB celebrates its 20th anniversary on 29 September. Since its foundation, it has been continuously operated by ITAS. |
| 2009 |
On 1 October, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is founded after a merger of the Research Center Karlsruhe (FZK) and the University of Karlsruhe (TH). |
| 2005 | ITAS coordinates the European Technology Assessment Group (ETAG) providing scientific services for the European Parliament’s STOA panel. |
| 2005 | 10 years of ITAS. (ITAS-yearbook) |
| 2004 | In November, the first conference of the Network TA is held in Berlin. |
| 2004 | Michael Decker is appointed Director of TAB on 1 January. |
| 2002 | The ITAS journal ”TA-Database-Newsletter” is renamed “Technology Assessment – Theory and Practice”. |
| 2002 | Armin Grunwald is also appointed Director of TAB on 1 January. |
| 1999 | Armin Grunwald is appointed Head of Institute on 1 October and shortly afterwards takes over the Chair of TA and Systems Analysis at the University of Freiburg. |
| 1999 | On 1 September, TAB moves from Bonn to Berlin-Mitte. |
| 1998 | Herbert Paschen retires as Head of ITAS on 30 June but remains Director of TAB. As Deputy Head, Reinhard Coenen is temporarily in charge of the institute from 1 July until 30 September 1999. |
| 1998 | ITAS and the Research Center Karlsruhe celebrate “25 years of TA in Germany” (1973-1998) and the 65th birthday of the Director of the institute at an event in Bonn-Bad Godesberg on 17 and 18 June. |
| 1995 | In October, the web presence of ITAS and TAB goes online. |
| 1995 |
After a decision by the Advisory Board of the Research Center Karlsruhe, AFAS becomes the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) on 1 July under the direction of Herbert Paschen. |
| 1992 | The first issue of the AFAS journal “TA-Datenbase-Newsletter” is published in March. |
| 1990 |
Parliamentary TA organizations from Germany, Denmark, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands partner with the TA institution of the European Parliament to form the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment Network (EPTA). |
| 1990 | Establishment of the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) in Bonn and operation by AFAS (Herbert Paschen also becomes Director of TAB). |
| 1987 | After the failure of the first study commission, a second one on TA is established in November; Herbert Paschen is appointed as a member. |
| 1985 | Work on the establishment of a TA infrastructure and database (by order of the BMFT) is started in co-operation with FIZ Karlsruhe. |
| 1985 | On 15 March the German Bundestag decides to set up a study commission on the “assessment and evaluation of technological impacts”. |
| 1977 | Foundation of the Department of Applied Systems Analysis (AFAS, Abteilung für Angewandte Systemanalyse) on 1 January with Herbert Paschen as its Head. |
| 1976 | The Executive Board suggests turning parts of the Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IAS, Institute für Angewandte Systemanalyse) into a “staff department” which shall be part of the Executive Board. This does not obtain a majority of the Scientific-Technical Board (WTR, Wissenschaftlich-Technischer Rat). |
| 1975 | On 1 January the division “Planning and Innovation” of the SfS is transferred into the IASR where it forms a department under the direction of Herbert Paschen. |
| 1973 | A hearing is held at the German Bundestag on the SfS survey on priorities of research policy on 21 March. The Head of SfS, Helmut Krauch, resigns from the Study Group. There are two research areas now: “Planning and Innovation” (Head: Herbert Paschen) and “Information and Documentation” (Head: Werner Kunz). |
| 1973 | First parliamentary initiative for the establishment of a parliamentary office for the assessment of technological developments; the administration of the Bundestag requests an expert opinion from Herbert Paschen and SfS. |
| 1972 | The Institute for Applied Systems Engineering and Nuclear Physics (IASR, Institut für Angewandte Systemtechnik und Reaktorphysik) is founded at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center under the direction of Wolf Häfele on the basis of the Institute for Applied Nuclear Physics (IAR, Institut für Angewandte Reaktorphysik). |
| 1958 | Helmut Krauch sets up the Study Group for Systems Research (SfS, Studiengruppe für Systemforschung) in Heidelberg. |
Publications
Wingert, B.
Anmerkungen zur Institutsgeschichte. In: Grunwald, A.; Riehm, U. (Hrsg.): Jahrbuch des Instituts für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS) anlässlich seines zehnjährigen Bestehens im Juli 2005. ITAS-Jahrbuch 2003/2004. Karlsruhe: Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe 2005, S. 345-356
Volltext/pdf
Brinckmann, A.
Wissenschaftliche Politikberatung in den 60er Jahren. Die Studiengruppe für Systemforschung, 1958 bis 1975. Berlin: edition sigma 2006
(Gesellschaft - Technik - Umwelt, Neue Folge 9)
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