Standardisation in the European Research Area: better integration of research and standardisation
Standards help bring new technologies into practice – for example, through uniform standards for safety, quality or sustainability. Those who get involved in standards at an early stage can bring their innovations to market faster and more successfully.
The European Commission wants to improve the links between research and standardisation. The new Code of Practice shows how this can be achieved. Standardisation is to be integrated more strategically into research and innovation processes with the aim of translating scientific findings more quickly into marketable, interoperable solutions and strengthening Europe's strategic autonomy.
Specific tasks for organisations and researchers:
- Consider standards from the outset: Standardisation should be understood from the outset as a tool for market proximity and the exploitation of research results, and should be taken into account in project plans.
- Support researchers: Universities and technology transfer offices should impart knowledge about standards and cooperate with standardisation organisations.
- Role of technology transfer offices: These should receive targeted training to support researchers in standardisation.
- Making achievements visible: Contributions to standardisation should be taken into account in the career development of researchers.
- Promoting strong partnerships: SMEs and start-ups should also have easier access to standardisation processes.
- Recommendations for project consortia: Standardisation activities should be explicitly anchored as work packages with time and budget resources. Partnerships with experienced standardisation experts and organisations are expressly desired.
- Monitoring and impact measurement: Institutions and projects should develop qualitative and quantitative indicators for standardisation and include them in evaluations.
- Political and structural recommendations: Member States are called upon to promote standardisation as a means of knowledge valorisation, particularly with regard to SMEs, start-ups and national support structures.
Standards are more than just technical details – they are a strategic tool for implementing European innovation and sustainability goals.
Have we sparked your interest? You can find all the information you need on the topics of ‘standards and standardisation’ on the Austrian Standards International website.