The Horizon Standardisation Booster (HSbooster.eu) is providing support services to ongoing and completed H2020, Horizon Europe and Digital Europe projects in all research areas. Adopting or contributing to standards is often an objective of R&I projects. By transferring R&I results to a standards-setting organisation extends exploitation by spurring innovation. This ensures the uptake and wider use of new technologies and inventions, guaranteeing interoperability and compatibility, providing quality and safety levels, and codifying knowledge in clear and specific ways.
However, actually navigating the path to engage with standardisation working groups and technical committees can be complex and costly for project consortia. To address this, the HSbooster.eu project has recruited over 150 standardisation experts from European and international working groups and technical committees to provide guidance and advice to projects so that they can strategically plan and contribute efficiently to the standardisation process.
Already over 70 projects have been applied. In a simple first-come-first-served process, projects can apply online stating the type of support they would like. HSbooster.eu partners then match the application to an appropriate standards expert who then connects up with the project directly. Support is then delivered through up to four conference calls over a period of 3 months (maximum).
So, what type of support is given? So far, we’ve seen a variety of applications which depend on the objectives of the project, it is a stage of delivery, and the consortium’s knowledge and experience of standardisation. Support ranges from raising awareness and knowledge of the importance of standards and valorising results; identifying relevance and understanding timing for contributions to standards activities; and acquiring soft skills required to take part in meetings. We have also seen quite different types of interaction types, from one-to-one advice, participation at consortium-based meetings, and support to the delivery of standardisation reports. One interesting type of support for example is support in early planning and road mapping of standardisation activities as a project begins.
A key aspect of the booster, and for Europe, is improving expertise in standardisation among project consortia. A Standardisation Training Academy will be launched later this month which will include training modules which will be available to projects that apply. Here we look to build confidence and skills within consortia, making them better equipped to understand and plan their standardisation strategies.
The booster is delivered by the EC-funded Coordination and Support Action HSbooster.eu (GA no. 101058391). Services are provided free of charge to EC-funded projects while experts are remunerated for their effort. With services continuously available in 2023, projects can now find reliable and independent support to address standardisation priorities in Europe and help projects transform results into marketable solutions.
