Ex Ante Evaluation and Technology Assessment - two Emerging Elements of Technology Policy Evaluation

Up to now in many European Countries evaluation of government programmes promoting R&D and innovation is a well accepted procedure of policy assessment. Data and methods used in programme evaluation research are relatively varied and wide-ranging. Accompanying ( or real time) evaluations are the predominant type, often combined with monitoring and ex post analyses; ex ante evaluations are rare. This is a serious deficit, since no systematic basis for decision making is formed, nor are original goals, assumed effects, underlying diagnosis, etc. available as a comparative basis for later analyses. A second deficit is the inadequate inclusion of technology assessment in programme evaluations. In order to assess the longer term, unintended impacts of public intervention in technology, a stronger involvement of technology assessment is necessary. This paper describes, in its first part, concepts and methods of programme evaluations, and discusses in its second part strengths and (esp. the above mentioned) weaknesses of evaluation research. Thirdly it presents for the case of evaluation of biotechnology R&D the technometrics approach as a method which contributes to ex ante evaluations. In its final part an example is presented in which way technology assessment can be combined with programme evaluation.