As a “thematic network”, the project aims at establishing a structured dialogue both between TA institutions and between the TA community and decision-makers. The approach is to combine an analysis of the TA methods applied in different European countries in terms of their premises, problem solving capacity and applicability with an impact analysis. The goal is to identify “best practices” for different problem contexts in order to develop guidance for the selection of TA methods. Specific tasks of the project are:

• survey and evaluation of the current state of TA approaches and methods used in Europe;
• survey and evaluation of previous impact analyses on TA;
• comparative analysis between the state of TA methodology and the impact analyses;
• comparative analysis of European decision-making traditions in science and technology policy;
• identification of “best practices” to determine the most suitable TA methodology for specific requirements and problem contexts, and finally
• the provision of a reference system for TA in the dimensions of methodology, impact and policy.

The Europäische Akademie, POST, and ITAS form the core group of the network.

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