Sustaining Education and skills on Standardisation to raise the next generation of European experts (European Commission’s High-Level forum on Standardisation)

On the 30th of November 2023, the European Commission summoned the second session of the High-Level Forum on European Standardisation, a crucial element of the EU's Standardisation strategy, pivotal in shaping the direction of the European single market.

This forum has the main goal to actively outline key Standardisation needs, providing support to critical policy areas. Featuring high-level representatives coming from diverse groups, it serves as a multi-stakeholder platform dedicated to pinpointing Standardisation priorities aligned with EU policies and legislation.

The meeting provided the opportunity to obtain a mutual acknowledgement of the advancements in the 15 workstreams, spanning various domains such as green electricity systems, low carbon cement, clean hydrogen, data interoperability, and fundamental rights and standards, particularly fitting for what pertains the Artificial Intelligence’s sphere. The discussions also focused on ensuring European industry leadership in establishing international standards.

The Forum members presented a commitment (namely a “Pledge”) to the Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, pointing out their dedication to enhancing education and skills in Standardisation to ensure the possibility for Europe to raise top-notch and talented experts to operate in the standards development process, in the coming years.

StandICT.eu 2026 is fully committed to the delivery of a comprehensive education strategy to improve the expertise and skills and knowledge (in full alignment with the EU Standardisation strategy). In the face of a progressively intertwined Standardisation landscape (which includes complex tech domains such as artificial intelligence, data protection, and cybersecurity challenges), the role of the StandICT.eu Standards Academy is to cultivate and raise younger experts in ICT Standardisation. Morevoer, a secondary but not least objective, is to raise overall awareness and understanding about the European Standardisation System with a view to increase the relevant use of standards and participation in the process at all levels.

The Standards Academy's activity is ongoing and it presents training modules categorised on proficiency levels, covering diverse Standardisation subjects. These include foundational topics like the significance of standards in ICT (for beginners), more nuanced areas such as patents and Standardisation in ICT (for those with intermediate knowledge), and advanced subjects like Standardisation and open source. Additionally, technology-specific resources will be created, with a focus on areas such as artificial intelligence or blockchain Standardisation, in order to reach out a broader audience. This will be instrumental to further align efforts with the ones of the European Commission's key initiatives on digital skills.