The family of EIA/SEA centres has got a new member: At the begin of 2001, the “Austrian Institute for the Development of Environmental Assessment (An !dea)” has been established,  representing Austria’s first research centre addressing exclusively environmental assessment issues.

Within the topic of environmental assessment, one of the key tasks for the 21st century, An !dea is conducting scientific know how both for public (e.g. political administration) and private clients in order to meet the requirements of the future and to support environmental protection issues, a competition factor, which is becoming more and more crucial.

Within that context An !dea has the following particular goals:

• The application, evaluation, quality insurance and development of environmental assessment instruments, especially with regards to environmental impact assessment (EIA) for projects, and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for policies, plans and programmes, including health impact assessment (HIA),
• the co-operation and exchange with relevant national and international organizations and institutions, giving special attention to the new EU member states, in the course of which the institute’s location (Graz, in the south-east of Austria) is geopolitically very convenient,
• the embedding of environmental assessment into the conceptions of sustainable development and integration of the environment into all sectors of policy.

These goals are achieved through the conducting of research studies, advising-, co-ordination- and co-operation tasks, and activities within training, education, further education and transfer of knowledge (e.g. organizing conferences).

Through these goals An !dea operates as one Austrian knot in the international network dealing with environmental assessment, EIA and SEA. An !dea is using a problem oriented, practice related and multidisciplinary approach.

The name “Austrian Institute for the Development of Environmental Assessment” (the institute’s name in German is “Oesterreichisches Institut fuer die Entwicklung der Umweltfolgenabschaetzung”) can be abbreviated concisely and typically with An !dea.

Due to its geographical position close to Slovenia, Hungary, Czech and Slovak Republic, one of the main objectives of An !dea is to support future EU member states and to co-operate with their environmental ministries, EIA centres, NGOs (like REC) and so on.
Beside that, the institute’s activities are focussed on becoming a part of the international EIA network: Relevant actors of all interested countries, especially within the EU, international organisations (like IAIA), but also national authorities, organisations and institutions might be mentioned in that context.

An !dea, which is organised as a charity, is managed by Dr. Ralf Aschemann (CV as pdf) .
Board members are:

• Dr. Reinhold Lazar, Graz University
• Heidrun Walther, MP, Mayor of Spielfeld

An !dea: an idea with future and for the future!

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