European Technology Platform Conference: Participation of European Standards Organisations

Sophia Antipolis, France, 18 May 2010 

With the focus on European Technology Platforms (ETPs) collaborating in addressing societal challenges,  the three European Standards Organizations, CEN (European Committee for Standardization), CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) took the opportunity to establish the importance of standardization to foster research and development, when they participated in the ETP Conference and Exhibition ‘Working together on societal challenges'.  The conference and parallel-running exhibition were organized by the European Commission and took place in Brussels from 11 – 12 May.

The European Standards Organizations' participation was amply justified by the level of interest in standardization as an essential part of helping companies to introduce innovation.  The need to improve links between the European Technology Platforms and the standards environment was stressed in several interventions, including the keynote address of the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation & Science, Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. This was translated into practical discussions between researchers and the ESOs' personnel on site.  

This closer collaboration will be taken forward, starting in the context of the forthcoming European Innovation Policy.

John Ketchell, Director Innovation, CEN-CENELEC, spoke during the conference session ‘Smaller Footprints: Decarbonisation of the Transportation of Passengers & Goods' about the benefits of standards helping to translate innovation into market success. Europe needs clean and efficient transport technologies for economic and societal well-being. Standards are a pre-requisite for these technologies to be fully adopted by the market. The recent CEN-CENELEC STAIR document promotes an integrated approach for Standardization, Innovation and Research, ready to respond to the new Commission innovation policy.

                           
      
CEN, CENELEC and ETSI exhibit at the ETP Exhibition.

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ABOUT CEN
The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is a business catalyst in Europe, removing trade barriers for European stakeholders such as industry, service providers, consumers and other stakeholders. Its mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens, and the environment. Through its services CEN provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other specifications.
CEN's 31 National Members work together to develop voluntary European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European Internal Market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. By supporting research, and helping disseminate innovation, standards are a powerful tool for economic growth. More than 60.000 technical experts as well as business federations, consumer and other societal interest organizations are involved in the CEN network that reaches over 480 million people.
For further information, please visit: http://www.cen.eu/

ABOUT CENELEC 
The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization is officially responsible for standardization in the electrotechnical field. In an ever more global economy, CENELEC fosters innovation and competitiveness, making technology available not only to major businesses but also to SMEs through the production of voluntary standards. CENELEC creates market access at the European level but also at the international level through its cooperation agreement with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Through the work of its 31 Members together with its experts, the industry federations and consumers, Electrotechnical European Standards are created in order to help shape the European Internal Market, to encourage technological development, to ensure interoperability and to guarantee the safety and health of consumers and provide environmental protection.
Detailed information available at http://www.cenelec.eu/

ABOUT ETSI
ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged, aeronautical, broadcast and internet technologies and is officially recognized by the European Union as a European Standards Organization.  ETSI is an independent, not-for-profit association whose 740 member companies and organizations, drawn from 62 countries across 5 continents worldwide, determine the ETSI work programme and participate directly in its work. 
ETSI's complementary standards-enabling service (Interopolis and Forapolis) offer "Idea to Product" solutions.  Interopolis provides testing methodology expertise, including interoperability test events. Forapolis provides a full range of support and management services to associations and fora.
For further information, please visit http://www.etsi.org/

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