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The work of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment in the 15th electoral term

The central task of the German Bundestag's Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment is to promote education and research. The Committee's areas of competence reflect, to a large degree, the policy areas which come under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the Federal Government.

The Committee deliberates on items such as draft laws, motions and briefings referred to it by the plenary. The results of the Committee's deliberations on a certain item are forwarded to the plenary in the form of a "recommendation for a decision", together with a report setting out the course of the deliberations in the "committee responsible" and in the "committees asked for an opinion". The plenary generally votes in line with the recommendation for a decision, either with or without a debate.

During the 15th electoral term, the Committee's deliberations are likely to focus on:

• structural reform of the Federal Training Assistance Act (BafÖG);
• structural reform of the vocational training system;
• the National Education Report;
• comparison of performance and competition at universities;
• continuing development of an effective research environment in Germany
• large-scale equipment for research purposes
• space travel
• genetic engineering and stem cell research

The Committee will also deliberate on programmes and draft legislation from the European Union in the field of education and research policy.

The Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment is also responsible for the "Office of Technology Assessment", an advisory body attached to the Bundestag ( http://www.tab.fzk.de). This office is commissioned by the Committee to produce studies assessing the impact of various technological developments and problems in the field of technology. Other Bundestag committees, together with the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag, can also apply to the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment for such studies to be carried out. The Committee, having examined what up-to-date studies already exist on the proposed subject and taking into account the staff and financial resources available, commissions the Office of Technology Assessment to carry out research and compile a report on the topic. Once reports or studies produced by the Office have been officially accepted by the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment they are tabled in the plenary and referred to the committees for deliberation.

The Committee can be contacted at the following e-mail address:
klaus.schmoelling@bundestag.de

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