A Hybrid Approach in Future-Oriented Technology Assessment

Technology Assessment has been a growing field of study for the few past decades. Intensive work on solving the problem of proper technology assessment has translated into the development, improvement or adjustment of the method and models used in technology evaluation projects. The article aims to present a new hybrid model that uses the Rough Sets approach and the DEA method to increase the objectivity in the selection of priority technologies in future-oriented technology assessment projects. Real-data application proved that this model: (i) reduces the number of considered assessment criteria by a few times without a significant change in technology rankings; (ii) gives individual objective weights to the criteria and allows highlighting the "strengths" of each technology; (iii) from the point of view of efficiency, considers the attractiveness of the development of each technology and the rationality of allocating resources required for the development; (iv) allows the inclusion of a possible contradiction among expert opinions.