ABSTRACT
The "technology assessment" was coined in the late 1960s by the Science, Research and Development Sub-Committee of the US Congress. On the analyst's side, it encompasses the study of technological parameters, the elaboration of technological forecasts, the analysis of social, environmental, cultural and political factors, a general assessment of all relevant effects and possible consequences of a technology and an evaluation of alternatives. Assessment ends at the frontiers of the broadened technological analysis, leaving the rest to traditional, existing, social and political processes. To convey the idea that technology assessment involves an important change in attitude, a certain number of other terms were suggested, such as "study of impacts", "analysis of social impacts" and "social management of technology". The international transfer of technology has a different meaning for the industrialised countries and developing countries. For developing countries, technology transfer is a decisive factor in their industrial and economic development.
