Sustainable development considers the impact of technology on the environment and society. The ITA looks at how new technologies can contribute to a more ecological, economic and social form of sustainability.

Austria is committed to follow the principles of sustainable development. In its essence, this means preserving development opportunities for future generations, but also about expanding social justice within and between nations.

Undesirable side effects

Sustainable development is closely linked to the use of technology. Modern technologies do not only lead to positive effects. On the contrary, many problems, for example in the environmental sector, result directly from the application and implementation of technology. Airplanes take us from point A to point B quickly and safely. Air traffic, however, makes a considerable contribution to the global climate problem. Many of the natural resources consumed in the process will no longer be available to future generations, which in turn – from today's point of view, will limit their development opportunities. A sustainable society will only function if it can rely on reliable technical systems and products. These should be as efficient, health-promoting, resource-saving, accessible and affordable as possible.

Goals of sustainable development

The United Nations' Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development contains 17 goals as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 subgoals for sustainable development for the period 2016 to 2030. Several of these sustainability goals are directly relevant for research work at the ITA. For example, we deal with societal challenges and the analysis of socio-technical systems with regard to the development of industry and infrastructure for sustainable development (Goal 9). Other objectives that are directly relevant to our work include climate protection measures (objective 13), the provision of affordable and clean energy (objective 7), sustainable cities and communities (objective 11), responsible forms of consumption and production (objective 12), but also health and well-being (objective 3) and food security (objective 2).

Assessing the innovation process

When assessing new technologies, we must remember first and foremost that sustainability cannot be "prescribed" or considered only after the finished technology has been established. Rather, fundamental criteria for sustainability must be considered as early as possible in the development of new technologies.

This also broadens the research perspective of technology assessment (TA). TA examines technical solutions not only with regard to their contribution to sustainable development for society as a whole. It also deals with the question of how innovation processes can be geared more towards sustainability and how technical innovations can be disseminated in a sustainable way.

At the ITA we concentrate on environmentally friendly forms of production and consumption, which, for example, are addressed in forward-looking studies on the effects of digitalisation. Other current topics are climate protection, the transformation of the energy system and  Active Assisted Living. In the field of university education, our contributions aim at a better understanding of the connections between technological development and social consequences.

Selected projects related to Technology and Sustainability

Read more about event Biodigitisation at the Museum
Oct 2024 - Aug 2025

Biodigitisation at the Museum

Exploring approaches to the digitisation of life
Read more about event Heated Outdoor Seating
Jan 2024 - Dec 2026

Heated Outdoor Seating

Outdoor heaters against the backdrop of climate change
Read more about event Critical raw materials
Dec 2023 - May 2024

Critical raw materials

The role of research and innovation for a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials in the EU
Read more about event Genetically engineered animals, algae and microorganisms
May 2023 - Aug 2024

Genetically engineered animals, algae and microorganisms

A social science project dealing with possibilities of understanding in the Coronavirus crisis
Read more about event System Readiness
Feb 2023 - Dec 2023

System Readiness

On behalf of the Climate and Energy Fund, the ITA is further developing a model that enables a detail-oriented assessment of the maturity of innovations for climate-neutral…
Read more about event Rethinking food waste
Sep 2022 - Feb 2027

Rethinking food waste

ToNoWaste: Developing a holistic assessment for food waste prevention.
[Translate to English:]
Read more about event Pioneers for a sustainable bioeconomy
Nov 2021 - Dec 2023

Pioneers for a sustainable bioeconomy

Finding the path to a sustainable, nature-compatible and circular bioeconomy
Read more about event CITY.FOOD.BASKET
Mar 2021 - Feb 2023

CITY.FOOD.BASKET

Sustainable consumption made easy - regional shopping baskets for food safety and interaction
[Translate to English:]
Read more about event PRODIGEES
Dec 2019 - Nov 2021

PRODIGEES

PRODIGEES is researching the effects of digitalisation on the environment, economy, governance and society throughout 2023. It sits on the cutting edge of research into…
[Translate to English:]
Read more about event 5G and health
Aug 2019 - Feb 2020

5G and health

Evaluation of the current state of knowledge on the health risks of cellular networks
Read more about event Electric car fleets for Vienna
Mar 2019 - Sep 2019

Electric car fleets for Vienna

Study on the circulation of electric vehicles in Vienna's company fleets
Read more about event The future of electricity storage
Nov 2018 - Jun 2019

The future of electricity storage

Societal, economic, and environmentally questions of energy storage solutions
Read more about event Pop-Up Housing
Apr 2018 - Mar 2021

Pop-Up Housing

Urban pop-up housing environments and their potential as local innovation systems
Read more about event Technology Assessment and Normativity – TAN
Jan 2018 - Dec 2019

Technology Assessment and Normativity – TAN

Technology always has consequences. How will they be determined?
Read more about event SafeNanoKap
Mar 2017 - Nov 2018

SafeNanoKap

Identifying potential risks and environmental impacts of nanomaterials in plastics
Read more about event Way2Smart Korneuburg
Jul 2015 - Sep 2019

Way2Smart Korneuburg

Pilot project for future sustainable Smart City concepts in the city of Korneuburg
Read more about event CIMULACT
Jun 2015 - Mar 2018

CIMULACT

Das Projekt beteiligte mehr als tausend BürgerInnen in 30 europäischen Ländern und eine Vielzahl anderer Akteure an der Gestaltung einer wünschenswerten, nachhaltigen Zukunft.
Read more about event Shopping Um(die)Welt
May 2015 - Dec 2015

Shopping Um(die)Welt

Konsum und Nachhaltigkeit aus der Sicht von Jugendlichen
Read more about event Evaluation of the EU project CASI
Oct 2014 - Jun 2017

Evaluation of the EU project CASI

Entwurf eines Bewertungsschemas von Innovationen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung
Read more about event Build to satisfy
Feb 2012 - Dec 2013

Build to satisfy

Modellierung des NutzerInnenverhaltens in Niedrigst- und Plusenergiegebäuden
Read more about event HVAC
Feb 2011 - Dec 2014

HVAC

Heizung, Ventilation und Air Condition – Klimatechnologien und ihre Implikationen für den Klimawandel
Read more about event e2democracy
Aug 2009 - Apr 2014

e2democracy

BürgerInnen in Österreich, Deutschland und Spanien beteiligen sich an lokalen Klimaschutz-Initiativen zur Senkung der CO2-Emissionen