Periodic Reporting for period 1 - StandICT.eu 2026 (ICT Standardisation Observatory and Support Facility in Europe)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30
Especially in the ICT domain, there is a close link between leadership in standardisation and economic growth, making ICT standards key not only for the realisation of the Digital Single Market, but also to support standardisation needs in key strategic areas towards the green transition and societal well-being. Whoever prevails in anticipating and establishing tomorrow’s favoured ICT standards will gain competitive power and digital sovereignty. Being a standard-setter in ICT and engaging in the global standardisation scene is therefore key to put forward EU values and interests at an international level. Starting from these considerations and building on the success of the previous StandICT.eu and StandICT.eu 2023 projects, StandICT.eu 2026 continues its mission to support European standardisation efforts at the international level.
The project specifically addresses the following objectives, as defined in the DoA:
Obj1 - Grants Facility: Evolved version of the Grants Facility that supports EU specialists in international ICT Standard Developing organisations and global fora.
Obj2 - Mapping:Reinforce standardisation capacity of EU R&I & industry ecosystem providing strategies for dialogues between policy, research, industry and SDOs.
Obj3 - EU Leadership: Promote Europe’s position of ICT standardisation as an enabler of sustainability & ensure EU promotion
Obj4 - Academy: The reference for engagement in ICT standardisation through education initiatives
Obj5 - Community and Engagement: To ensure maximum impact of the StandICT.eu activities
The project specifically addresses the following objectives, as defined in the DoA:
Obj1 - Grants Facility: Evolved version of the Grants Facility that supports EU specialists in international ICT Standard Developing organisations and global fora.
Obj2 - Mapping:Reinforce standardisation capacity of EU R&I & industry ecosystem providing strategies for dialogues between policy, research, industry and SDOs.
Obj3 - EU Leadership: Promote Europe’s position of ICT standardisation as an enabler of sustainability & ensure EU promotion
Obj4 - Academy: The reference for engagement in ICT standardisation through education initiatives
Obj5 - Community and Engagement: To ensure maximum impact of the StandICT.eu activities
To achieve the stated objectives, the project focuses on the following core activities:
#1 Financial support for ICT standardisation: This activity allows facilitating European involvement in ICT standardisation by enabling professionals to access or maintain key leadership roles within international and European Standards Development Organisations (SDOs). This is achieved through a cascade funding system, organised via a series of open calls managed under Work Package (WP) 3, with results monitored through the Fellowship Programme within the same work package.
#2 Knowledge creation and sharing: The project is actively supporting the creation and dissemination of knowledge in ICT standardisation through a Training Academy, developed as a renovated version of the Academy launched under StandICT.eu 2023. This academy includes materials mostly produced by the consortium, while the previous version only provided visibility to third-party publicly available resources. The Academy, moreover, hosts webinars on geopolitical aspects of standardisation, with a focus on international dimensions and other key topics and regulations in standardisation. Additionally, peer-to-peer learning is fostered via a newly launched mentorship pilot programme, all part of WP4 activities.
#3 Insights into key ICT standardisation trends: StandICT.eu 2026 provides up-to-date insights into key ICT standardisation trends through the StandICT.eu EUOS Observatory. This repository offers information and links to relevant standards, supported by the work of dedicated Technical Working Groups (TWGs) under WP2. In this edition, the TWGs have produced comprehensive analyses on critical topics such as the Citiverse, Edge Computing and IoT, and the Digital Product Passport (DPP). The consortium has complemented these resources with interviews, analyses, and position papers that also analyse further specific ICT standardisation topics and explore links with open-source technologies
#4 Stakeholder engagement and communication: The project is committed to nurturing and fostering relationships and engaging stakeholders under WP5, sharing success stories,communicating the results and impacts of standardisation across various topics, including sensitive or underdeveloped areas, such as the consideration of human rights in ICT standards development and application, as part of WP6. More details are offered in the dedicated section.
During the first 18 months of the StandICT.eu 2026 project, the consortium has successfully met all expected goals, submitted all due deliverables, and achieved the set milestones, as monitored under WP1, duly following the details of the Description of Action (DoA) contained in the Grant Agreement and the amendment AMD-101091933-8 formally requested in June 2024 (M18) and currently in the final signatory phase. The amendment was needed to adjust the objectives, scope, and outputs of the FOREST Group (T6.3) following discussions with the EC in the previous months. The focus of the FOREST Group has been realigned to concentrate on monitoring and raising awareness about sensitive issues related to ICT standardisation.
#1 Financial support for ICT standardisation: This activity allows facilitating European involvement in ICT standardisation by enabling professionals to access or maintain key leadership roles within international and European Standards Development Organisations (SDOs). This is achieved through a cascade funding system, organised via a series of open calls managed under Work Package (WP) 3, with results monitored through the Fellowship Programme within the same work package.
#2 Knowledge creation and sharing: The project is actively supporting the creation and dissemination of knowledge in ICT standardisation through a Training Academy, developed as a renovated version of the Academy launched under StandICT.eu 2023. This academy includes materials mostly produced by the consortium, while the previous version only provided visibility to third-party publicly available resources. The Academy, moreover, hosts webinars on geopolitical aspects of standardisation, with a focus on international dimensions and other key topics and regulations in standardisation. Additionally, peer-to-peer learning is fostered via a newly launched mentorship pilot programme, all part of WP4 activities.
#3 Insights into key ICT standardisation trends: StandICT.eu 2026 provides up-to-date insights into key ICT standardisation trends through the StandICT.eu EUOS Observatory. This repository offers information and links to relevant standards, supported by the work of dedicated Technical Working Groups (TWGs) under WP2. In this edition, the TWGs have produced comprehensive analyses on critical topics such as the Citiverse, Edge Computing and IoT, and the Digital Product Passport (DPP). The consortium has complemented these resources with interviews, analyses, and position papers that also analyse further specific ICT standardisation topics and explore links with open-source technologies
#4 Stakeholder engagement and communication: The project is committed to nurturing and fostering relationships and engaging stakeholders under WP5, sharing success stories,communicating the results and impacts of standardisation across various topics, including sensitive or underdeveloped areas, such as the consideration of human rights in ICT standards development and application, as part of WP6. More details are offered in the dedicated section.
During the first 18 months of the StandICT.eu 2026 project, the consortium has successfully met all expected goals, submitted all due deliverables, and achieved the set milestones, as monitored under WP1, duly following the details of the Description of Action (DoA) contained in the Grant Agreement and the amendment AMD-101091933-8 formally requested in June 2024 (M18) and currently in the final signatory phase. The amendment was needed to adjust the objectives, scope, and outputs of the FOREST Group (T6.3) following discussions with the EC in the previous months. The focus of the FOREST Group has been realigned to concentrate on monitoring and raising awareness about sensitive issues related to ICT standardisation.
The following key results have been achieved in the project:
#1 Trust-Grants™ Platform: An enhanced grants management tool with increased automation, now a benchmark for open call processes. It has been successfully reused by Trust-IT in other projects.
#2 EUOS Observatory for ICT Standardisation: An enriched online platform with 2,851 records on ICT standards, serving as a key reference for stakeholders and boosting engagement across Europe.
#3 EUOS Technical Working Groups (TWGs): Expert groups producing "Landscape Analysis Reports" and, for the first time, "Gap Analysis Reports," providing essential insights into ICT standards.
#4 EUOS Standards Academy: A second version offering educational resources developed by consortium members, enhancing skills and knowledge in ICT standardisation.
#5 ICT Standards Community: A strengthened network fostering partnerships and increasing the initiative’s visibility and influence within the ICT standardisation ecosystem.
#6 Funded Fellows: European ICT standards experts supported by the project, with their success stories published in “Following the Fellows Impact Reports.”
#7 Mentorship Programme: A new initiative pairing newcomers with experienced professionals to ensure continuous knowledge transfer and skill development.
#8 ICT Trends and Recommendations Publications: Deliverables and papers providing in-depth overviews of ICT trends, available on Zenodo, guiding future research and development.
#9 FOREST Forum: A strategic group discussing sensitive ICT topics, delivering confidential reports to the EC, informing key decisions in ICT standardisation.
#10 ICT Standardisation Success Stories: A collection of success stories showcasing the impact and benefits of ICT standardisation efforts, encouraging broader adoption.
#1 Trust-Grants™ Platform: An enhanced grants management tool with increased automation, now a benchmark for open call processes. It has been successfully reused by Trust-IT in other projects.
#2 EUOS Observatory for ICT Standardisation: An enriched online platform with 2,851 records on ICT standards, serving as a key reference for stakeholders and boosting engagement across Europe.
#3 EUOS Technical Working Groups (TWGs): Expert groups producing "Landscape Analysis Reports" and, for the first time, "Gap Analysis Reports," providing essential insights into ICT standards.
#4 EUOS Standards Academy: A second version offering educational resources developed by consortium members, enhancing skills and knowledge in ICT standardisation.
#5 ICT Standards Community: A strengthened network fostering partnerships and increasing the initiative’s visibility and influence within the ICT standardisation ecosystem.
#6 Funded Fellows: European ICT standards experts supported by the project, with their success stories published in “Following the Fellows Impact Reports.”
#7 Mentorship Programme: A new initiative pairing newcomers with experienced professionals to ensure continuous knowledge transfer and skill development.
#8 ICT Trends and Recommendations Publications: Deliverables and papers providing in-depth overviews of ICT trends, available on Zenodo, guiding future research and development.
#9 FOREST Forum: A strategic group discussing sensitive ICT topics, delivering confidential reports to the EC, informing key decisions in ICT standardisation.
#10 ICT Standardisation Success Stories: A collection of success stories showcasing the impact and benefits of ICT standardisation efforts, encouraging broader adoption.