Introduction
HSbooster.eu
offers a consultancy service to EU-funded projects seeking
guidance on standardisation-related aspects of their research
projects. Our aim is to assist projects in effectively
navigating the standardisation landscape, ensuring their work
aligns with relevant standards and maximising their impact in
the market. This factsheet provides detailed information and
instructions for projects interested in applying for the
HSbooster or that have already applied and are waiting to
start the consultancy service.
The application
If you seek support for your project’s standardisation
activities, the first step is to submit an application for our
Open Call.
The application is open to both ongoing and completed H2020, Horizon Europe and Digital Europe projects to receive practical guidance to assess the standardisation readiness of their project results and match them up with standardisation experts who can guide the project on how these results can feed into standardisation working groups or technical committees. To apply, you should provide information on the project, its standardisation-related objectives and what you hope to gain from the booster service.
The application is open to both ongoing and completed H2020, Horizon Europe and Digital Europe projects to receive practical guidance to assess the standardisation readiness of their project results and match them up with standardisation experts who can guide the project on how these results can feed into standardisation working groups or technical committees. To apply, you should provide information on the project, its standardisation-related objectives and what you hope to gain from the booster service.
To apply, you should provide information on the project, its
standardisation-related objectives and what you hope to gain
from the booster service.
After the application
After the application, an eligibility check is done to make
sure that the applicant is a valid EU-project representative.
Once the eligibility is passed, the project representative
(i.e. the person who submitted the application on behalf of
the project consortium) will receive an automatic confirmation
from HSbooster.eu and will be allowed to set-up their profile
and password for the HSbooster.eu website. In the meantime, an
appropriate expert is looked for and matched with the project
as soon as possible.
On average, you can expect to start the service around 1
month after the submission of the application. This time is
needed for checks and administrative procedures for
HSbooster.eu to sign a contract with the selected experts.
Consultancy Service
The HSbooster Consultancy Service focuses on providing expert
consultancy on various standardisation-related aspects of a
given research project. The consultancy aims to enhance the
project's understanding and engagement with standardisation
processes to achieve effective results.
Types of Consultancy Offered
- Standardisation Mapping: Identification and assessment of relevant standards applicable to the project.
- Suggestions on Standardisation Deliverables or Future Strategy: Recommendations for standardisation deliverables and strategic planning for future standardisation activities.
- Understanding Standardisation Processes: Clarification on how standardisation works, including the development and adoption of standards.
- Training Materials: Provision of training resources and materials related to standardisation processes.
- Engaging with Standardisation Development Organizations (SDOs) or Technical Committees/Working Groups (TCs/WGs): Guidance on interacting with appropriate SDOs, TCs, or WGs relevant to the project's objectives.
- Facilitating access to standards or TCs/WGs: The expert can help you access standards via HSbooster.eu. Indeed HSbooster.eu can reimburse the fees for a maximum of 3 selected standards. Once the coordinator or another beneficiary of a project that has applied to HSbooster.eu purchases the standard via their national standard body, the project representative can ask HSbooster.eu for reimbursement. Similarly, if the project is interested in accessing Technical Committees (TCs), Subcommittees (SCs), and Working Groups (WGs), HSbooster.eu offers reimbursement for the fee of one person per R&I project to gain access to a national mirror committee. This access enables participation in the work at TC, SC, and WG levels for a period of one year. Please note that we do not however, provide funding for the hours that the R&I project invests in their participation.
You will be able to indicate your preferences and needs in
the application form. If you request different types of
support, the feasibility of your request can be discussed in
advance with the expert, considering the effort constraints
detailed below.
Effort Expected from Projects
To ensure a successful consultancy experience, projects are
expected to:
- Interact promptly with the expert assigned to them.
- Attend scheduled meetings arranged by the expert.
- Inform the HSbooster.eu team promptly if any struggles or challenges arise during the consultancy process.
- Act upon the suggestions and recommendations provided by the expert and share their own perspectives.
- Complete a compulsory survey at the end of the service on the HSbooster Standard Operating Platform (SOP).
Effort from Expert and Expected Duration of Service
The consultancy service is designed to be "light" and
efficient, with an expert dedicating a maximum of 2 full
working days to the project. This effort will be spread over a
maximum timeframe of 3 months. If required, longer durations
can be agreed upon based on specific needs, however always
considering an equivalent effort of 2 days per service. Each
service includes up to 4 calls of approximately 1 hour,
between the project and the expert.
Possibility to request additional services
1 It is important to emphasise that these
reimbursement options are specifically applicable to projects
that do not have allocated budgets or have already consumed
their budget for purchasing standards or joining TCs. We are
dedicated to supporting projects in maximizing their
engagement with standardisation activities and ensuring their
seamless access to the necessary resources.
It's important to note that the HSbooster Consultancy Service
is modular, allowing projects to apply for up to 3 services (
six equivalent working days) with the same or different
experts. Customised requests can be evaluated on a
case-by-case basis. Each service will have the same structure
in terms of meetings, duration and effort as detailed in the
previous section
Output
By the end of the service, the project will receive a summary
report compiled by the expert with the description of the
meetings, activities performed and suggestions made. The
report is available for the project on the HSbooster.eu
platform. A feedback survey has to be filled-in on the
platform by the project at the service completion.
Confidentiality of the Output
The report is confidential to the expert and the project.
However, it may be accessed upon need by HSbooster team
members, EC representatives, and the
External Advisory Group
members for quality check reasons. These individuals will not
disseminate the report.
Accessing the Platform
To access the HSbooster Consultancy Service platform, please
follow these steps:
- Go to www.hsbooster.eu/user/login
- Insert the email used for the application and your password to login to the website.
- Go to www.sop.hsbooster.eu where you can track the progress of your assigned expert, read the activity report, and complete intermediate and final feedback surveys.
Promotion and Success Stories
After the completion of the service, projects have the
opportunity to be featured as a success story on the HSbooster
website. This includes promotion of their experience with
HSbooster.eu and the assigned expert. Additionally, a
dedicated flyer can be prepared to share the project's journey
with HSbooster.eu that the projects can use for their own
promotion as well.
Please feel free to contact the HSbooster team for further
assistance or if you have any questions. We are excited to
collaborate with you and support your project's
standardisation goals.
Additional Interview Opportunity
Selected applicant projects may be given the chance to engage
in a further interview and discussion with expert members from
our External Advisory Group. This provides projects with an avenue
to delve deeper into their experiences and interact with a broader range of experts.
Enhancing synergies among projects
Are you interested in enhancing standardisation-driven
synergies with other projects in your field instead? If you
already have a group of similar projects in mind, we have an
exciting opportunity for you. HSbooster.eu can organise a
dedicated webinar focusing on standards mapping, specifically
tailored to a selected topic of common interest among the
group. No need to go through the application process for this
particular case. Simply send us an email providing information
about your project, the other projects working in your field
and your common area of activity. Our team will carefully
evaluate the feasibility of organising a standards-focused
event that will benefit all participants. Don't miss out on
this exciting opportunity to enhance your project's impact.