European workshop in Norway

Are we ready for radical climate change? Can artificial life fuel new cars? How will Europes’ future aging population look like? This will be discussed by project managers from 18 European countries in Norway in April.

Every second year the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment (EPTA) arranges a meeting for the staff of its member institutions. The Norwegian Board of Technology is hosting this year’s conference in April.

Common development of ideas

The member institutions of EPTA have in common to advice parliaments on the impact of new sciences and technologies. The project managers in EPTA work differently, but they share a mutual interest in topics and research methods.

- European meetings are useful to exchange knowledge and experiences – and to get an overview of current technology assessment in Europe. Together we can develop new ideas for future projects, says project manager Cathrine Heisholt at the Norwegian Board of Technology.

At the conference the participants will discuss possible projects related to the following themes:

• The need for a radical climate transition: What changes and priorities may be necessary if the climate change continues to escalate?
• The aging population of Europe and its future: How can technology and innovation play a role in solving these challenges?
• Synthetic biology: Clean bio fuels and cheap malaria drugs are just some of the opportunities foreseen. But social and ethical questions about the impact on health, the environment and society arise – as well as possibilities for abuse through biological warfare.

There will also be a focus on communication and exchange of experiences related to the use of different ways of doing technology assessment.

Contact information:
Project manager Cathrine Heisholt
E-mail: cathrine@teknologiradet.no
Phone: +47 23 31 83 25
Fax: +47 23 31 83 01

Links

• PRISE website