Patterns of science and technology policy evaluation in Germany

In Germany the practice of the evaluation of research and of research institutions is characterised by a considerable degree of self-organisation of the scientific communities. A report is given of a recent comprehensive analysis of evaluation practice in S&T programmes: it critically analysed over 50 evaluation studies which the Federal Ministry for Research and Technology had commissioned since 1985. On the basis of this analysis and its recommendations, a rough outline for a systematised future evaluation practice was proposed and will soon be put in practice. Recent attempts to combine strategically oriented evaluations of project funding with those of institutional funding of S&T organisations are reported In this context, several studies of future developments of science and technology (‘technology foresight’) were recently carried out, raising some public interest. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.