The Council for Advanced  Studies and Technology Assessment

The Council for Advanced Research and Technology Assessment, composed of 11 deputies, is a technical-advisory agency of the Board of Direction of the Chamber of Deputies. It aims at examining, discussing and investigating topics of strategic importance for the country.
The Council is intended to promote the development of studies related to Government programs, plans, projects and actions, and to provide the technical foundations for Parliamentary action which will benefit society.
The result of each study is published and divulged by the Council.

Aims
 Support parliamentary action on complex matters, by providing in-depth analyses and evaluations of unseen risks and benefits associated with activities related to technology, environment, economy, society, politics, juridical affairs and culture, among others.
 Support, organize and disseminate knowledge, while encouraging the articulation and construction of a network of information-exchange between public and private sectors.
 Plan effective legislative action with applied knowledge for the generation of employment and income, sustainable development and the enhanced profile of local action.
 Promote legislative action which may lessen the gap between the generation of knowledge and its use.
 Encourage interaction between Parliament and research institutes, universities and technology centers, with the aim of generating and sharing knowledge with an emphasis on science and technology.

Council activities
During the meetings issues are raised and then they are submitted to discussion and approval by Council members.
Next, a specialist Deputy is appointed as reporter and a group of legislative consultants is designated to analyze the matter. Here, a multidisciplinary team of experts identify the scope of a project: the type of approach, limits, potentialities, socio-economic impact, any successful pilot projects, existing legislative proposals, and so on. In addition, the Standing Committees and the Government bodies involved with these issues are identified.
After approval of a project by Council members, work begins. In this phase, research, lectures, seminars and studies all lead to legislative proposals.

Values
The Council activities are driven by values that aim to achieve:
 the full participation of all Chamber members, civil society, and public and private institutions;
 a systematic and humanitarian approach to the issues raised;
 information exchange and acknowledgement of multiple ways of knowing;
 respect for diverse views on social problems.

Historical
The Council was established in 2003 to enhance political action and to reinforce the prominent role of the Legislature as a body qualified for discussions on issues of social relevance.
In its short life, it has presented concrete proposals, which have prompted seminars, debates, directives and publications. 
The study on Biofuels has led to debate on new, sustainable, alternative sources of energy, with a focus on social inclusion.
The Brazilian Debt Crisis has received an innovative approach, with accessible language. This has sparked controversies and debate in the media and in politics.
The Software Market in Brazil has raised the issue of regulation, and analyzed vital judicial aspects for the restructuring of the sector.
Digital TV encompasses a wide range of perspectives on the goals of Brazilian television. In sum, the study on “Technological Capacitating” (technology training) is about to open new perspectives on setting up effective technology education in Brazil.

Council Members
The Council for Advanced Studies and Technology Assessment is composed of a Chairman, who is assigned by the Board of Direction of the Chamber of Deputies, and by 22 Deputies, 11 permanent members and an equal number of alternates, all of them assigned by their parties, following the party proportionality principle.

Chairman’s Speech
The Council for Advanced Studies and Technology Assessment proposes the study of issues whose complexity or innovative nature demand in-depth research. It is, however, one of the forums the Chamber of Deputies uses to obtain balanced and suitable information, with a solid technical basis, related to any issue subject to legislative action.
Council action does not conflict with the action of Committees. On the contrary. Each time a topic for study is selected, the Council requests of Standing Committees the assignment of representatives to act as alternate members. However, the Council is not an integral part of the legislative process. Legislative proposals emerging from its work follow the normal course of any parliamentary initiative.
The Council page at the site of the Chamber of Deputies intends to be an instrument of interaction with society: here issues under study are released and space is available for  citizens to send suggestions and questions about subjects under discussion. For further information, visit the Council page caeat@camara.gov.br
Best regards
Deputy Inocêncio Oliveira - Chairman

COUNCIL PUBLICATIONS

Biofuels and Social Inclusion
Biofuels and Social Inclusion was the first topic studied to receive an in-depth approach right after the Council’s establishment in 2003. Proposed by Deputy Ariosto Holanda, this study deals with the importance of biofuels for national development and the generation of employment and income.

Brazilian Debt Crisis
The Brazilian Debt Crisis was a proposal by Deputy Felix Mendonça, and this work aims to evaluate an issue that is complex but crucial for understanding the present workings of the economy. It also seeks alternative approaches to the issue and to facilitate understanding by non-specialists.

Digital TV
This document encompasses a wide range of contributions from the Seminar on ‘Digital TV: The Future and Citizenship’, which was promoted by the Chamber of Deputies. The main focus is on the effects of setting up digital TV in Brazil. As a pilot publication of a series, this report joins the highly successful ‘Collected Advanced Research’.

The Software Market in Brazil
This publication provides major contributions to the debate on innovation in relation to public policy concerning the production and export of software, to fiscal issues involved in their application, and to the effects of adopting non-proprietary (free) software in the country.

Providing Technical Know-How to the Population
This publication provides an overview of education and technical qualification in Brazil and in certain other countries. It proposes concrete alternatives for encouraging technology transfer in Brazilian society.