| Abstract |
The importance of innovative technologies for economic and social development influences the need for technology assessment (TA), which is one of the key challenges in innovation management concerning support for the decision-making processes with regard to the development and implementation of technologies. The paper describes the origins and development of technology assessment approaches as well as the classifications of forms of technology assessment. It presents the methods employed, which are distinguished with regard to the objective of the assessment and its scope. Against the background of existing approaches, methods, and models in technology assessment, a complex technology assessment system is presented. The system is embedded in the non-mainstream research of TA, corresponding with the needs of business and industry. It has been developed, verified, and implemented at the Institute for Sustainable Technologies - National Research Institute (ITeE-PIB) in Radom, Poland. The paper presents the ways of applying the complex technology assessment system for the support of R&D management. The system enables one to assess innovative products at any stage of their development (from the concept stage, through the development stage, to the final technology stage). The practical value of the system has been proven by its use for the assessment of several hundred technologies for the needs of research organisations, technological parks, and enterprises in Poland. |