HSbooster2 is currently running open calls for two of its three core services: the Proposal Support Service, which opened on 1 September 2026, and the Mentoring Service active since July. Together, the two calls give research and innovation consortia support at both the proposal and the delivery stage, and the early response suggests that projects are making use of both.
Applications received so far span a range of domains and funding schemes. This spread reflects the design of the two services: the Proposal Support Service is open to any research consortium preparing a submission, regardless of the programme it is applying to, while the Mentoring Service is available to ongoing and recently closed projects funded through EU, national, or international schemes. For project coordinators, this means standardisation expertise is now reachable at the point it is most useful, whether that is while a proposal is still being drafted or once a project is underway and ready to engage with technical committees and working groups.
Why standardisation matters this early
The rationale for embedding standardisation this early, and this consistently, is straightforward. Standards translate research results into formats that markets, regulators, and other researchers can build on. A project that considers its standardisation pathway from the proposal stage is better placed to plan realistic deliverables, identify the right technical bodies to engage with, and ultimately see its results taken up beyond the life of the funding. Evidence from HSbooster's first phase showed that the large majority of applicant projects were still at an early stage in this respect, underlining the value of support that begins before funding is even confirmed.
Standardisation on the agenda in Brussels tomorrow
This question of how standardisation is embedded across EU research and competitiveness frameworks is also the subject of an event taking place tomorrow, Thursday 10 September, in Brussels. Organised by CEPS in partnership with CEN and CENELEC, From research to market – standardisation in FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund will bring together speakers from the European Commission, CEN-CENELEC, DIGITALEUROPE, Small Business Standards, and KI Park to discuss how standardisation can be mainstreamed across the EU's tenth Framework Programme and the European Competitiveness Fund as the 2028–34 Multiannual Financial Framework takes shape. The discussion, chaired by CEPS Director of Research Andrea Renda, will address how standards can be positioned to enable rather than constrain innovation, and what is needed to ensure they deliver interoperable, market-relevant outcomes across the next programming period — questions that sit close to the core of HSbooster2's own mission of connecting research results with standardisation pathways.
How to apply
Both the Proposal Support Service and the Mentoring Service remain open for applications via the SOP platform (sop.hsbooster.eu) upon the registration at https://hsbooster.eu/project/register. The Standards Accelerator Service, the third of HSbooster2's services, will follow with its own call for projects ready to move from strategy to direct standardisation contributions.
