ITAT

INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AND TRANSFER (ITAT)

TECH-BRIEFS

CYBER SECURITY A  WAKEUP  CALL

MEDICAL ENGINEERING PROJECT

BROCHURE

Introduction
The issues related to the acquisition, development and commercialization of new technologies have been addressed intensively by the engineering and scientific communities in the past, however in isolation. Institutionalization of developing well considered and integrated views of the experts is of recent origin, about one and a half to two decades old. Now practically all the leading developed countries have established expert service providers at the highest level i.e. a service available to their legislators. The concept was originally developed in USA, where office of Technology Assessment was created for the US Congress. The other major countries followed suit by establishing similar institutions e.g. Office of Technology Assessment at the German Parliament (TAB), Centre for technology Assessment in Switzerland (TA – SWISS), the Danish Board of Technology (DBT), and Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in UK (POST). In Japan this task is handled by the National Institute of Technology & Evaluation (NITE), Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI), in Holland by the Netherlands Office of Technology Assessment (NOTA) now known as Rathenau Institute, and in France the Office Parlementaire d’Evaluation des choix Scientifiques et Technologiques (OPECST) – Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Options.

Lately we have been witnessing an Institutional Technology Assessment Panorama. International Association for Technology Assessment and Forecasting Institutions (IATAFI) has been established under the auspices of the United Nations. Europe is very active as they have created several organizations in this respect viz. European Parliamentary TA (APTA), the assessment of Scientific and Technological Policy Options for the European Parliament (STOA), European Technology Assessment Network (ETAN), European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO), European Network for Communication & Information Perspectives (ENCIP), and the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS). These are the decision support systems that have been designed to bridge the gap between S&T and the society and meet the democratic demands for strategic inputs in the formulation of appropriate legislation and plans. The key features of the decision support systems are their independence and autonomy in order to ensure unbiased and objective analysis and relevance to the country. Japan, however, is an exception. The working of these institution is essentially multi-disciplinary. Methods for the assessment of technologies and forecasting have been continuously developed by them.

Another interesting development is visible in a number of countries. The higher educational institutional have been increasingly involved in providing the necessary knowledge base to the decision support systems. Some examples are:

  • The Institute for Technology Assessment and Analysis (ITAS) of the Research Centre Karlsruhe, Germany (which in fact manages the TAB).
    Akademie fÜr Technikfolgen – äbschatzung in Baden Wurttemberg Germany.
    The Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT), Germany.
    Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation & Technology, Department of Technology Assessment, Technical University of Hamburg – Barburg.
    Unit of Technology Analysis and Assessment, Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
    The institute of Technology Assessment (ITA), Austrian Academy of Sciences.
    Institute of Policy research in Engineering, Science & Technology (PREST), University of Manchester, UK.
    The Centre of Exploitation of Science and Technology (CEST), UK (leading universities are members).
    Interdisciplinary Centre for Technological Analysis and Forecasting at Tel-Aviv University (ICTAF), Israel.
    The Institute of Technology assessment, Sangamon State University, Springfield, Il, USA.

Raison detre
In view of the total institutional gap in this field in the country it appears to be imperative that at whatever modest level the resources allow some effort has to be made to develop the capacity for assessing the emerging technologies in respect of their prospects, manageability, and priority for the country. Decision making support is badly needed at the highest level of various fora responsible for higher education, research, economic planning and policy initiatives

Establishment of the Institute    
A modest beginning in this direction has been made by establishing an Institute for Technology Assessment & Transfer (ITAT), which is a non-profit body. It will use the knowledge base of the country as well as the resources available outside the country to conduct the essentially multi-disciplinary studies. It is a Thinking

Laboratory and will act as a Catalyst for Change.    
ITAT will be managed by the Pakistan Academy of Engineering.

Objectives  
The Basic objective of the ITAT is to conduct independent and objective analysis, and make an assessment of the potential of future technologies. It will also assess the consequences of introduction of new technologies. Timely attention and relevance to the country will be the over-riding considerations for the conduct of its business. 

Scope of Work
The Institute will develop its own agenda and also provide its decision support services to the Government and other clients, if asked for. It will help the clients realize productive interfacing and meaningful linkages with relevant international organizations as well as local institutions.

Methodology
The Institute will follow a wholesome multi-disciplinary approach in respect of assessment of emerging technologies, forecasting and scenario development. The know-how available on these subjects and modelling will be made use of. There is considerable room for collaborative work, both at the national and international level, which will be brought to bear upon the quality of work of ITAT.

Manning    
The Institute is headed by a Director, who will conduct the business with the help of a panel of advisors and by outsourcing specialized work to the subject experts. The highly specialized manpower will be compensated if and when tasked to work on specific assignments, sponsored by the clients.

Funding
The Institute will generate its own funds by undertaking sponsored work.

Outputs
The output of the Institute will be in the form of reports, studies and other publications. It will also generate two to four pages advisory notes and briefs for the benefit of its end users.     

Director
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jameel Ahmad Khan, VDI, Fellow, IAHE, Former Vice Chancellor NEDUET, Former Chairman, Pakistan Engineering Council and President, Pakistan Academy of Engineering.

Valuable Technology Guidelines

Available At ITAT

Acoustics
  • Acoustic Treatment
Under-Water Acoustic
Noise Control
Ultrasonics
Automation Engineering
  • Mechatronics
Data Acquisition Systems & Control
Automotive Engineering
Electric Vehicles
Fuel Cell Vehicles
Hybrid Vehicles
Automotive Electronics
Bio-Engineering
Biodynamics
Hemodynamics
Biomaterials
Energy
Fossil Fuels
Coal Gasification
Solar
Wind
Ocean
Hydrogen
Fuel Cells
Energy Conservation
Environment
  • In-door Air Quality
Thermal Pollution
Clean Room Technology
Information Technology
  • Web-based Teaching / Learning
Optical Fibres
Ambient Intelligence
Polytronik
Photonik
Security Systems
Biometry
Maintenance Engineering
  • Building Management
Stress Measurement & Analysis
Modal Testing
Machine Diagnostics
Manufacturing
  • Laser Machining
Rapid Prototyping
Water Jet Cutting
Robotics
Medical Engineering
  • Testing & Evaluation
Diagnostics
Treatment
Surgery Support
Automated Care
Micro-Engineering
  • Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems
Heat Transfer in Micro Systems
Molecular Sieves
  • Synthetic Membranes
Ceramic Membranes
Hydrophobic Membranes
Nano-technologies
  • Thin Films
Coatings
Carbon Tubes
Nano-Scale Machining
New Materials
Chemical & Bioanalytical Systems
Energy Conservation Devices & Systems
Simulation and Modelling
  • Computer Aided Design & Manufacture
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Finite Element Analysis
Sensor technology
  • Sensors & Actuators for Automobiles
Industrial Sensors
Medical Sensors
Biosensors
Safety Sensors
Thermo-Fluid Processes
  • Flow Through Porous Media
Heat Pumps
Heat Pipes
Super-Critical Fluids
Cavitation
Desiccant Cooling
Drag reducing Polymers
Water
  • Water Quality
Water Treatment
Waste Water Treatment
Water Desalination
Thermal
Solar
Reverse Osmosis
Transmembrane

Contact
Telephone: 92-21-34831726, Fax: 92-21-34968603, Website: http://pacadengg.org/itat

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