Technology Foresight project is unveiled
The Development Ministry yesterday unveiled an ambitious study designed to delineate the directions in which technological developments are most likely to influence Greek economy and society in the next 10 to 15 years. «We are planning a very broad study of the procedures and conditions in which knowledge, technology and research may be linked with the evolution of our society in a strategic plan, a strategic perception of the country’s development. It will serve as a tool to orient our limited national resources in the right direction and in support of our development strategy,» Development Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos told a press conference yesterday. Technology Foresight is a project that has already been undertaken by 32 other countries, including several of Greece’s EU partners which, after initial efforts, are continuing with more complex schemes. In Greece, it has been assigned – following a public tender – to a coordinating consortium comprised of the National Technical University of Athens, the Economic University of Athens, the Public Health School and two private firms, Logotech and K-NET, which will use their infrastructure and know-how in its implemention. The project has been budgeted at 1.4 million euros and is estimated to last 30 months. Technology Foresight will be implemented in three main phases. The first, a six-month organizational period which is nearing completion, is described as the «take-off» stage. The second step includes 18 months of intensive work by teams involving major interest groups, such as the Federation of Greek Industries (SEV), the labor union umbrella organization GSEE and prominent opinion leaders. These teams will work on 11 thematic areas: Agricultural Development and Fisheries, Industrial Production and Manufacturing, Energy, Information Technology – Communications and e-business, Transport, Environment, Health and Quality of Life, Tourism and Culture, Governance and e-government, Materials and Biotechnology. The third phase will last six months which will be used for the dissemination and diffusion of the studies’ results and preparation for follow-up schemes, which should include the establishment of a center for know-how and technology foresight. An oversight committee, with overall control, will include representatives of SEV, GSEE and the European Commission. The coordinators will be advised by a group of experienced foreign experts and consultants. The complex and broad issues will be examined at both the macro and micro levels. At the macro-level, the study will pursue an overview of the Greek situation in the international environment, seek to identify the main issues for which long-term policy planning should be made, and lay out four different scenarios. The years 2015 and 2021 have been set as successive time-frame goals for the project. «We have already received 150 responses to an invitation for expressions of interest by scientists and experts to staff the working groups… We wish to involve the cream of Greek intelligentsia, the scientific community but also of society,» said Professor Manolis Koukios, who is head of the coordinating team.
