From the lab to public procurement

No innovation is an island: it is always docked to, and created to function within the framework of the real world. Innovations must meet the needs of people, institutions, and markets that function according to set rules, regulations, and conventions.

Standards help to ensure that innovations effectively solve the problems they set out to, by outlining the frameworks they need to function within. This also works to shorten time to market while creating the opportunity for eventual public procurement.

Standardization can help you to:

Keep up with leading technologies

Standards provide information on leading industry technologies and innovations, and are the basis of continuing education through testing, certification, and more.

Comply with regulations and certifications

As public authorities are also a part of the standardization process, standards can support in the creation of policy and regulation. This makes it much easier for your work to comply with necessary regulations.

Find new partners

Standardization is a co-creation process that spans different roles and sectors, including those involved with new technologies. This makes it easy to connect with new and potential partners.

Access technology and knowledge that supports your entry to market

Developing new standards or modifying existing standards allows us to keep abreast of market, technology, and policy changes—knowledge of which supports your entry to market and helps to enable interoperability.

Provide in-demand customer service

The methodologies you use to provide your services will be instantly recognised if they are covered by standards, making it easier to drive demand for them. Standards support also helps to make sure your testing methods are up-to-date.

Get your R&I research proposal accepted

Public funds (i.e. Horizon2020, Horizon Europe) value standards as a project outcome. Including standardization in your research proposal can therefore increase the chance of proposal acceptance.

Get professional recognition
References to relevant standards will increase the quality of your publications and other assessments.

How we can support you:

Identify the standardization potential of your R&I project

Work with you on your standardization proposal

Establish a seamless process for developing your standardization activities

Link you with relevant industrial and societal bodies

Screen existing standards to indentify technologies that are relevant to you

Help make sure you're compliant with health and safety legislation

Distribute your R&I results effectively to all relevant stakeholders

Lead and manage your standardization activities

Find out how researchers benefitted from standardization

How standards support securing urban sustainability

"Standardization bodies should be included from the start, to really achieve maximum benefit and enable the wonderful outcome of welcoming research and innovation to the market."

Serene Hanania,
ICLEI EUROPE, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

Read the SMR Story here

Find more inspiring stories here

Developing standards is quick and easy

After only 6-12 months, an agreement called a 'CWA' can be put in place, which serves as the basis for new standards—based on your research. A CWA is published globally and takes 4 simple steps to create:

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