Project Duration: October 2012 – October 2014

The goal of the openTA project is to improve information sharing, communication, and cooperation in the field of “Technology Assessment” (TA) by establishing a web-based specialized portal.

The project is developing information and communication services that can be offered and used both centrally via the specialized portal and decentrally through integration into the websites of the respective TA institutions. One of the first services developed, the openTA News Service, provides a comprehensive news overview of the activities of TA institutions and can be used as a customizable widget and a configurable feed.

The name openTA refers to the portal’s openness: it embodies the concept of open-access publishing and free access to TA information, as well as the use of open-source software solutions and the involvement of the TA community.

Technology Assessment has been established in Germany since the 1960s. Individual academic departments, engineering and consulting firms, as well as large research and consulting institutions, are engaged in TA. The TA specialist portal strengthens the international community of TA institutions, supports teaching, and promotes broad public use of TA knowledge.