According to the World Bank, one of the most important economic benefit of standards it that they increase productive and innovative efficiency. But that's not all.
Standards can enhance the economic value of your research and innovation project, but not only:
- Dissemination of your research results
A normative document will become a reference and will ensure that research results are well-known, thus enhancing recognition of the researcher’s results
- Opportunity to network
Participating in standardization on a precise topic together with other stakeholders working on the same issue allows you to increase your network and to identify potential scientific or commercial collaboration.
- Possibility of licensing revenues from patents
Under certain conditions, it is possible to reference your patent in a standard, provided you are willing to license the use of the technology on a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory basis.
- Faster and easier access to market
Taking into account existing standards within your research project guarantees that, if a product is developed afterwards, this product will respect existing standards and have a better access to the market. Moreover, translating research results or innovation into normative documents (terminology in a new area, new measurement methods, application of new technologies, organisation of innovative services, good practices etc.) can provide technical validation and facilitate access of innovation solutions to the market.
- Possibility to access a bigger market
Developing an EU standard means potential access to the entire EU market (more than 500 million inhabitants). The European Standards Organisations (ESOs) also have agreements with the International Standards Organisations (ISO and IEC).
- Helping access to public procurement markets
Standards codify the state of the art of innovative product and services and are often used as references in public procurement schemes.
- Codification of the state of the art
Existing standards can codify and spread the state of the art in various technologies. The need for additional standards can lead to the identification of new research needs and thus ideas for new research projects.
- Interoperability
Standards provide a basis for the integration of technologies into complex, innovative systems and solutions, and assist in ensuring interoperability.
- Reassurance for consumers
Standards can offer reassurance to consumers in the application of new technologies, for example through the assessment of risks, the measurement of performance, etc...
The possible interactions and benefits between Research and Standardization have been qualified as the “Integrated Approach” (see more under the Policy context webpage). The Integrated Approach will ensure that standardization is integrated in Research and Innovation. The Integrated Approach aims at:
- raising awareness of the benefits of standardization in the research and innovation process
- transferring research results and outcomes of innovation activities into standardization
- fully exploiting the functions of standards for research and innovation activities in order to increase the competitiveness of the EU
This scheme will help you understand how this approach can be integrated in your EU research and innovation project:
