Tasks and goals
Assessing the consequences of technology – for parliament and society
TAB's tasks include the conception and implementation of technology assessment projects (TA projects) and - in preparation and as a complement to these - the observation and analysis of important scientific and technological trends and related societal developments (monitoring).
The catalogue of tasks also includes the observation of scientific and technological trends in early stages of development (horizon scanning), the exchange of experience and opinions with societal actors through systematic discourse analyses and dialogue procedures, and the strengthening of international parliamentary TA in Europe and beyond. (Fields of activity)
The aims of parliamentary TA are
- to analyse the potentials and effects of scientific and technological developments comprehensively and forward-looking and to explore the associated social, economic and ecological opportunities and risks,
- to examine the framework conditions for scientific and technological innovations,
- to provide a dialogue forum for society and politics to discuss and assess scientific and technological developments
- and, on this basis, to identify the Parliament's need for and options for action
With its impartial analyses, TAB contributes to improving the information base of the German Bundestag and to providing a scientific foundation for its opinion-forming and decision-making. In addition, TAB's activities support the public dialogue on technological developments and innovations.
TAB has so far carried out more than 200 projects and published the results in over 400 publications.