Structural Analysis as an Instrument for Identification of Critical Drivers of Technology Development

Technology development is determined by many factors which have different functions in the socio-economic system. Knowledge and skills in the process of selection of key factors and assign roles to other factors, plays an important part from the perspective of management of technologies. The purpose of the paper is to present the structural analysis as an instrument of identification and classification of factors influencing the development of a particular technology. The paper discusses the theoretical basis of the method and presents its practical implications in the form of a case study of a project entitled “Technological Foresight «NT FOR Podlaskie 2020». Regional Strategy of Nanotechnology Development”. The aim of the described project was to find answers to the following questions: What are the key drivers of nanotechnology development in Podlaskie region (Poland) in the perspective of year 2020? What are the interrelations between these drivers? For the research purposes of the article structural analysis was used. The applied method allowed eventually to the select two main factors that determine the development of the analyzed technologies which formed the basis for creating development scenarios.