The problem

Existing methods for economic modelling do not adequately address the effects of emerging environmental technologies. This is a significant problem for policy-makers, given the increasingly urgent need to tackle environmental challenges with policies that must incorporate rapidly developing new technologies. The policy-makers need methods to help them choose the best ways to support the use of technological innovations – maximising their advantages while minimising any negative effects on competitiveness and trade.

Overview:

FORASSET will develop modelling techniques to forecast the potential impact of new environmental technologies, assisting policy-makers to make best use of the emerging technologies.

The project will:

• Adapt economic models to include the role of environmental technologies and their impact on competitiveness and trade
• Adapt economic models to analyse the relationship between environmental technologies and the process of technological change
• Use the adapted models to assess the likely effects of various policy alternatives

Contribution to policy development:

• FORASSET will develop validated methods to allow policy-makers to support and promote the development and use of environmental technologies.
• It will provide assistance in deciding which new technologies to adopt so as not to damage competitiveness and trade.
• The project will lead to the identification of the most promising environmental technologies to help guide future policy decisions.
• It will develop theoretical tools that will promote sustainable development.

Project deliverables

• Series of reports on existing practices and theoretical understanding – March 2006-July 2006
• Adapted economic models for assessing the impact of environmental technologies – September 2006
• Reports on the impact of environmental technologies policies – June 2007
• Final report and Environmental Technologies Action Plan – October 2007

Dissemination

• Workshops for selected end-users from the European Commission – End of project
• Direct contacts with national planing and policy-making bodies – ongoing
• Publication of results in scientific journals – as results become available
• A series of scientific and policy-oriented meetings – throughout

Technical information

Project acronym: FORASSET
Project’s official full title: Foresight and Assessment for environmental technologies
Research priority: The foresight and the forecast of technological evolution in the field of environmental technologies
CORDIS ref: http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.simpledocument&PJ_RCN=7901324&CFID=1288077&CFTOKEN=92239178
Specific webpage: not available
Proposal/contract no: 513732
Start date: 1 November 2005
Kick off meeting: November 2005
Completion date: 31 October 2007
European Commission scientific officer: Peter De Smedt

Coordinator:
Name: Centre d’observation economique/Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris
Abbreviated name: COE/CCIP
Address: Centre d’observation economique, 27 Avenue de Friedland, Paris
Country: France
Tel: +33 141131635
Fax: +33 141131667
Website: http://www.coe.ccip.fr

Partners

Name: Bureau Fédéral du Plan
Abbreviated name: BFP
Country: Belgium

Name: Institute of Computers and Communication Systems/National Technical University of Athens
Abbreviated name: ICCS/NTUA
Country: Greece

Name: Centre for Economic Studies/KU Leuven
Abbreviated name: CES/KUL
Country: Belgium

Name: Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research
Abbreviated name: FhG/ISI
Country: Germany