Abstract

In the project "Innovation Pathways for a Sustainable Information Society", which was funded by the BMBF within the framework of socio-ecological research (under the reference 07IFS03A), the instrument of roadmapping was further developed with a view to an innovation strategy and research policy sustainability orientation. Roadmapping is a proven and increasingly widespread instrument of early technology identification. To date, however, roadmapping has focused primarily on technologies and in practice is largely technology-driven. Socio-economic and socio-ecological contexts often play a subordinate role. As a result, images of technology are often produced that appear autistic due to the lack of socio-economic or socio-ecological embedding and are oriented towards what is technically feasible. To remedy this deficit, a new concept was presented: an "Integrated Roadmap". It aims to include social needs and customer requirements as well as side effects and risks in innovation processes at an early stage.

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