The recent HSbooster.eu II Info Session, Services, Open Call and How to Apply, drew a wide and varied audience, spanning project coordinators and standardisation practitioners across several thematic areas. The turnout, and the range of questions raised during the session, pointed to something the initiative has observed since its first edition: research and innovation projects are increasingly looking for ways to extend the value of their results, and standardisation is emerging as one of the more concrete paths for doing so.
What people wanted to know
Participants asked about clustering opportunities across thematic areas, about whether individuals without an affiliated organisation could apply, and about the distinction between the three services and the External Pool of Experts that delivers them. Several questions concerned financial support for engaging with standardisation work — a topic that, coordinator Nicholas Ferguson from Trust-IT Srervice noted during the session, saw no uptake in the first edition of the initiative but continues to generate interest. The breadth of these questions is itself a signal: standardisation is often treated as a technical afterthought, when in practice it can shape whether research results reach the market at all, support interoperability, and, in some sectors, determine whether a product or service can be placed on the market in the first place.
Two calls, one open door
Following the session, HSbooster.eu II has opened its call for research and innovation projects seeking standardisation support. The call for standardisation experts to join the External Pool of Experts (EPE) remains open on an ongoing basis, and interest in it has continued to grow alongside the project call.
Applying as a project
Projects funded under any scheme, including but not limited to Horizon Europe, Digital Europe, EUREKA, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions or national programmes, can apply for the Mentoring Service, gaining access to a matched expert who helps map the standardisation landscape relevant to their results and build a realistic engagement strategy.
Applying is a two-step process: registering on the HSbooster.eu II website, then submitting an application through the Standardisation Open Platform at sop.hsbooster.eu, where projects provide information on their objectives, the maturity of their results, and the specific support they are seeking. The application takes around thirty minutes to complete.
Applying as an expert
Experts with experience in National Standards Bodies, European Standards Organisations, international standards development organisations, technical committees or working groups can still apply to join the EPE. Selected experts may contribute to the Mentoring, Accelerator and Proposal Support Services depending on their background and the needs of applicant projects, with tasks ranging from coaching on standardisation procedures to identifying relevant gaps in existing standards. As with the project call, registration on the website comes first, followed by an application through sop.hsbooster.eu.
View application guidelines for standardisation expert
Catch up and get in touch
For those who missed the info session or want to revisit specific points, the recording and slides are available on the Info Session webpage.
