HSBooster Project supporting European Standardisation Support concludes with Brussels event
The Horizon Standardisation Booster project is an initiative designed to support European research and innovation (R&I) projects in their journey towards standardisation which concludes today with a final event in Brussels. Launched in April 2022, HSBooster was created to enhance the contribution of EU-funded projects to standardisation activities, strengthening their ability to translate cutting-edge research into real-world applications.
The project was designed to provide expert guidance and practical tools to help R&I projects navigate and contribute to the European standardisation landscape. The initiative directly supported the European Commission’s Standardisation Strategy and Code of Practice on Standardisation, aligning with key policy priorities, including the twin green and digital transitions.
Standardisation involves developing and implementing technical standards to ensure compatibility, safety, and efficiency across industries. HSBooster.eu offered free, tailored support to Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, and Digital Europe Programme (DEP) projects, enabling participants to understand the importance of standardisation, develop tailored standardisation strategies through engagement with standardisation experts, and contribute to the development of standards that help bridge research outputs with the global marketplace.
The project also featured tools and services to help projects embed standardisation into their workflows. These tools included:
- The Standards Orientation Tool (SOT) for guidance on developing informed standardisation strategies.
- Norma, the first standardisation chatbot, offering instant advice and information.
- A comprehensive Standards Catalogue offering over 700 resources to support projects at every stage.
Speaking about the project, Sharon Farrell (Project Manager) ADAPT at Dublin City University said
“Standardisation is becoming more of a common word within Research & Innovation. Paving a way to ensure that what we deliver in R&I is to a high standard. The HSBooster.eu project was to ‘boost’ the knowledge of engagement with standards, experts mentoring EU projects on how to engage with the correct standard and how to apply it to their project. It has proven a very successful project and subsequently delivering an Adapt Standards Catalogue developed from the research within the project”
Over the course of the 36-month European Commission initiative, HSBooster achieved significant impact including fostering a network of over 204 standardisation experts, with 92 actively supporting projects, and contributing across major EU priority areas such as Sustainable Digitalisation (264 projects), Green Transition (115), Health (83), Resilience (79), and Smart Cities and Circular Economy in Buildings (48). In addition, the project helped to forge relationships between research, innovation, and industry, helping to enhance trust in new technologies and fostering knowledge transfer.
The final event in Brussels sees key players from the European standardisation community gather to reflect on HSBooster’s achievements, outline recommendations for future success, and discuss the future of standardisation in Europe’s innovation landscape.