Evaluation of technology policy programmes in Germany

The evaluation of government programmes and measures in the field of technology policy has gained in significance in Germany over the past decade. A variety of evaluation studies on individual projects or programmes with different aims, approaches and methods are available. Part I provides a look at the development of technology policy in Germany and an overview of German evaluation research in the area of state technology policy programmes, their historical development, the evaluation methods used hereby, and takes initial stock of the results obtained up till now. Part II presents examples for analyses conducted up to the present for different programmes and technology areas, among others the promotion of innovations in small and medium-sized enterprises, support for the diffusion of advanced manufacturing technologies, laser technology and thin-layer techniques, promotion of microelectronics in Germany, and promotion measures for technology transfer from publicly supported research institutions to industry. Part III discusses new quantitative methods of technology assessment (technometrics) and their significance for the evaluation of research and technology policies. Finally, Part IV deals with the economic justification of different measures and programmes of technology promotion and discusses approaches leading towards a wider understanding of technology policy beyond the traditional financial promotion, which will also make a broadening of evaluation concepts necessary. This book was edited on behalf of, and in close cooperation with, the "Study Group on Technology Policy Evaluation Research", in which members of several research institutes and consultants in Germany joined forces, in order to exchange experiences in this field on a continuous basis and to contribute to the further development of methods and concepts.