The European Observatory for ICT Standards (EUOS) has active working groups from international standards development organizations (SDOs). Some of the participants include IEC, ISO, ITU, IEEE and W3C, who produce reports on artificial intelligence, blockchain, cyber, data, IoT and digital twin and smart cities for the European Commission and make them freely available to the public.
During the Society for Standards Professionals (SES) 70th Annual Conference, Ray Walshe, Director, EU Observatory for ICT Standards and DCU Partner in StandICT.eu 2023, a European Commission funded project, discussed the challenges and opportunities identified by EUOS during the session on Enabling European Leadership in International ICT Standards Development.
Walshe is also a member of the IEC and ISO joint technical committee that develops international standards for information and communication technologies. He contributes to the work being done for artificial intelligence as project editor of a big data reference architecture standard.
Breaking silos
“There are many international standards development organizations (SDOs). To avoid silos the key is collaboration and not duplication,” said Walshe. “We want to bring experts together rather than creating new working groups.”
EUOS supports European experts in standardization activities and offers funding through a series of calls for standards development proposals.
During the first open call cybersecurity, 5G and IoT are the most popular field, totalling the 46% of applications received for funding standards proposals. eHealth accounted for 15%. Other areas of interest included: quantum technology, cloud computing, big data, blockchain and AI.
“SMEs, microbusinesses, academia, SDOs, government and large business were among applicants. Of the wide spectrum of SDOs, IEC and ISO joint technical committee had the largest number, covering big data”, said Walshe.
Topics added in the second call included edge computing, ontologies and open data standards. The evaluation of third call should conclude next May, while the fourth call is open.
Tools and education are key to standardization
“Education and Training are important in the ICT standardization field as in any other discipline. The EUOS Academy works with international experts to help support the next generation of standards developers”, said Walshe.
Resources offered, include the state-of-the-art repository of over 5000 standards, the collaborative networking space and cloud-based tools. The Academy provides:
- education modules for students (particularly on non-technical aspects and benefits of standardization)
- repository of teaching material for newcomers in standardization
- showcases the strategic importance of Standardisation for business and Europe’s competitiveness
About StandICT.eu
StandICT.eu 2023 “Supporting European Experts Presence in International Standardisation Activities in ICT”, addresses the need for ICT standardization and defines a pragmatic approach and streamlined process to reinforce EU expert presence in international ICT standardization. It analyses and monitors the international ICT standards landscape and liaises with SDOs and industry-led groups, to pinpoint gaps and priorities matching EU DSM objectives.
Launched in 2018, the project runs open calls to fund proposals for standards which focus on priority domains for European specialists who contribute to ongoing standards development activities.
About SES
The Society for Standards Professionals (SES) is a not-for-profit professional membership society dedicated to furthering the knowledge and use of standards and standardization. SES provides a neutral forum where standards users and developers can come together to address mutual issues, opportunities, and interests in ways that work to the benefit of everyone involved with, or affected by, standards. SES members are primarily involved in the development, application, and use of company, government, national, regional, and international standards.
Recent Comments