Standardization in general
Standardization is a process to agree on methodologies, requirements, characteristics, etc. It can support the development of a common language, which is understandable to everyone. A standard in general is a consensus-based document that is approved by a recognized body or organization and it reflects the state of the art. Consensus is characterized by the absence of sustained opposition in a process that involves the opinions of all relevant parties. The consensus-based approach is a main characteristic of standards. Standardization documents can be developed at national level, where each country has its own recognized national standards body (DIN – Germany, UNI – Italy, ANSI – America, etc.,) at European level, where the organizations CEN and CENELEC are mainly responsible for standardization, and at international level, where ISO and IEC are the most-established standardization organizations. Different types of standardization documents exist. Beside the well-known standards, specifications (e.g., Technical Report, Technical Specification, CWA, IWA, etc.) also exist.
Standardization vs. research projects
Specifications especially can be a great tool to support the dissemination of research results of research projects. Standardization can support innovative solutions by promoting marketability, enhance interoperability of research results and promote visibility. Research projects can also benefit from standardization by considering already existing standards, which are reflecting the state of the art, as a solid basis for new inventions.
DIN as the standardization partner in CircUits supports the project partners with the following sub tasks:
- Identification of relevant standards at European and international level to allow the consortium members to consider existing standards.
- Identification of standardization needs and gaps in the current standardization landscape, which CircUits could potentially fill.
- Initiation and performing standardization activities to promote, disseminate and exploit developed CircUits results.
Report on Standardization activities (v1) – D5.2
This document provides the reader an overview about the basic knowledge on standardization – the standardization process, different types of standardization documents, and different ways to participate in standardization. In addition, the results of a standards research, which was conducted within CircUits, are listed. Existing standards in the field of circular economy, automotive, industry and quality management are listed and form the standardization landscape of CircUits. Ongoing standardization projects in relevant standardization committees at European and international level are described. CircUits not just considers existing standards but is also interested in participating in standardization. For this reason, a workshop was conducted to identify existing gaps or needs in the current standardization landscape, which can potentially be filled by CircUits results. The standardization report explains the different standardization ideas and provides some insights in CircUits’ standardization strategy.
The document can be downloaded here: D5.2_report_on_standardization_activities_1st version_final.
Standardization strategy for CircUits
Contact person in CircUits:
Sarah Köhler
https://www.din.de/en/circ-uits-913832
