nederlands versie

Organisation
 

Mission

 

The ’Mission Statement’ of the Institute Society and Technology is as follows:

’The Institute Society and Technology is an independent and autonomous institution, linked with the Flemish Parliament. It investigates the societal aspects of scientific and technological developments.
This is being done on the basis of study and analysis, by structuring and stimulating the social debate, by observing scientific and technological developments at home and abroad, by conducting prospective research into these developments, by informing its target groups, and by advising the Flemish Parliament based upon these activities. In the end, all these activities of the Institute are intended to enhance the quality of the social debate and to contribute to a better-founded decision-making process.’

In practice, the institute Society and Technology achieves its goals by:

 

  • making brief preliminary evaluations;
  • outsourcing longer and more comprehensive evaluations to national or international experts or research teams and/or ask them for advise;
  • organizing a constructive, suitable and properly-scaled dialogue among the stakeholders;
  • drawing up recommendations for the Flemish Parliament; 
  • getting back to the regional, national and international organizations that are involved in the scientific and technological decisions;
  • making a yearly analysis of the current needs and trends.