As part of the virtual Library Talks on the topic of “Code of Practice for Researchers on Standardisation”, study results to support science in making better use of standards as a channel for knowledge valorisation and technology transfer were presented on 4 May 2022. Standards help to bring innovations to market and to disseminate technological advances, for example by ensuring use through interoperability or by defining minimum standards with regard to aspects such as safety and sustainability. The study, for which Jelena Angelis, Head of Research at the European Future Innovation System (EFIS) Centre in Brussels, and Alfred Radauer, Institute and Programme Director at IMC Krems, were responsible, was discussed with various departments and institutions of the EU Commission at the EU Library Talks. The results will be incorporated into a recommendation of the EU Commission on how the topic of “standards and norms” should be handled in the best possible way by researchers in EU research projects. The planned publication date for the Code of Practice is autumn 2022.
EU-supported scoping study
The underlying “Scoping Study or the development of a Code of Practice for researchers on standardisation” identifies elements of good practice for researchers who have dealt with standards and standardisation in research projects funded by Horizon 2020. The results show that there is a stable and recurring set of elements of good practice. Standardisation activities in the context of a research project, for example, lead to broader stakeholder management in successful projects. Close links are needed between research consortia and the technical committees that develop standards. Meanwhile, researchers’ awareness and know-how of standardisation processes is often low in less successful projects. Furthermore, the development of recognised performance indicators to track the success of technology transfer and valorisation activities through the “standards and norms” channel is still in its early stages. A number of recommendations have been developed at both institutional and project levels, as well as for policy makers and the wider stakeholder community, also with regard to the development of performance indicators. The findings and experiences from this study not only provide important input to the planned Code of Practice but will also be included in a series of forthcoming initiatives related to European research and innovation policy.
