Research Helpdesk

It is best to examine the existing work in ICT related SDOs and Fora and see if there are synergies. It is possible to influence existing work in ETSI by revising existing deliverables, and also to start new deliverables in existing groups or even create new groups.

To start an ISG, first of all you need an idea for ICT standardization and a group of ETSI members who wish to bring that idea into ETSI. Once you have those initial elements contact research@etsi.org.

This depends of the maturity of the research and also the synergies the work has with existing standards activities. It is safe to say, the earlier researchers start considering related standards work, the better.

It is best to consider what standards may be required for an innovative research topic early on in the process. You can contact ETSI research helpdesk research@etsi.org at any time.

New work can be brought to existing ETSI groups or new groups can be created specially to house new research topics. To contribute work to ETSI this can be done via ETSI members as direct contribution to technical groups.

ETSI has reduced fees for “Universities, public research bodies and not-for-profit user associations” set to  €2 100 per year. More information can be found in our membership section.

Standards support interoperability across technologies. They help create global markets. They enable networked development, where innovation occurs on top of existing technology platforms. ICT standards embody a ‘state of the art’ of technology development. They are an essential resource for researchers in ICT. ICT markets are shaped by standards.  If ICT research should lead to new products, new services, or whole new markets, then clearly research must lead to standardization activities.

ETSI can offer to provide Letters of Support to project proposals when the scope of those projects meet certain criteria. Such criteria include the project involving several ETSI members, falling within the scope of ICT, and most importantly having the clear intention to bring research results into ETSI.

For more information contact research@etsi.org.

The full ETSI membership list can be found on our website. Simply filter the view by “Research Body (public)”, “Research Body (private)” or “University”.

This falls under the scope of the European Commission. More information about the EC funding programmes that support research and innovation projects, with links to open and upcoming calls can be found on the EC website.

See the ETSI IPR POLICY: Standards rely on technical contributions from various sources. These contributions may contain patented technologies which are commonly known as Standard Essential Patents (SEP). When it is not possible on technical grounds to make or operate equipment or methods which comply with a standard without infringing a SEP, i.e. without using technologies that are covered by one or more patents, we describe that patent as ‘essential’. More information can be found on our website.

There is guidance text on the ETSI webpages. In addition we have developed a set of teaching materials on standardization, a comprehensive textbook, “Understanding ICT Standardization: Principles and Practice”, together with an extensive set of over 380 slides to be used as teaching aids.

We also hold an ETSI Seminar twice a year (May/June and November/December), to provide an intensive course on ETSI, its organization, structure, ways of working and related subjects.

ETSI does not fund researchers directly, but there is certain funding available from projects such as StandICT and others.

Beyond the cost of membership to ETSI (that is greatly reduced for researchers, academics and SMEs) the real cost of participation in standards is ‘time’ and ‘invested energy’. This cost depends on your level of activity and engagement.

All of ETSI’s deliverables are available for free and can be consulted and downloaded from the standards search on our website. Search by “keywords” relating to the scope of you project.