Bernardina Gonçalves

PhD student. Subject: Technology Assessment (TA), PTA. Madeira Island Parliament. TA is a scientific, interactive and communicative process, which aims to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and technology. (EPTA - www.eptanetwork.org). Parliamentary TA supports the processes of democratic policy-making on issues involving: science; technology and innovation by providing comprehensive insight into knowledge on opportunities and consequences, by facilitating democratic processes of debate and clarification, and by formulating policy options (PACITA Project - 2011-2015, http://www.pacitaproject.eu/). The reason to create parliamentary TA considering knowledge/help for decision making: Scientific and technological changes have a direct effect on society; Parliaments (and Governments) are “overtaken” by these rapid changes – Complex World (many specialties, technicalities, uncertainties). My school: http://iet.fct.unl.pt/