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StandICT.eu steps into the core of its new 2029 edition, marking the introduction of one of the most strategic and highly anticipated initiatives of this programme: the official launch of the Open Call dedicated to the Organisation of Technical Meetings of international SDOs. 

Fully aligned with the project’s renewed mandate, this initiative serves a dual purpose: strengthening European representation in international standard-setting fora, and fostering broader participation and accessibility for European experts.

The objective of this new funding scheme is to attract and host in Europe, within Member States or Associated Countries, those international technical meetings that might otherwise be held anywhere else in the world. Hosting these strategic working sessions within Europe significantly mitigates logistical and geographical barriers. This approach facilitates broader participation from European specialists, academics, and SMEs, empowering them to actively shape and influence future technological specifications.

The call will not provide funding for large commercial conferences or administrative general assemblies; rather, it will specifically support technical international meetings strictly aligned with the European Union's strategic priorities and the key areas of the ICT Rolling Plan

The initiative is supported by a total budget of approximately €200,000, with the possibility for each applying organisation to obtain a maximum contribution of €50,000 to cover the actual costs of the event. To ensure maximum flexibility, StandICT.eu 2029 has structured this opportunity as a continuous call, devoid of rigid deadlines. Applications are to be submitted via the new TRUST-GRANTS™ platform. For more information on using the new platform, please consult the applicant guidelines which will be published as soon as the call opens .

The financial support will not be distributed as a single lump sum but will follow a two-stage model: an initial pre-financing upon award, followed by a final payment after the event, provided that the operational reports and relevant invoices are submitted by the end of August 2028.

To guarantee the utmost transparency and quality, the selection of proposals will be entrusted to a rigorous process. Each application will be independently assessed by two members of the External Pool of Evaluators (EPE), who will carefully examine the relevance of the objectives, the solidity of the expected impact, and the sustainability of the organisational plan. Alongside technical and strategic quality, evaluators also take into account the criterion of inclusiveness, rewarding the ability to foster demographic and geographic balance, as well as a diverse representation among the various standard developing organisations (SDOs) involved.

Each proposal will be evaluated on the basis of the following four criteria principle:

  • Criterion 1 – Strategic Objective and Agenda (Weight: 20%)  - Focus: Assessment of  the meeting’s relevance and objectives, EC priority alignment, and agenda coherence.
  • Criterion 2 – Expected Outcome and Impact (Weight: 35%) - Focus: Assessment of deliverable feasibility, impact validity, the strategic value of StandICT.eu involvement and European focus.
  • Criterion 3 – Implementation, Team & Budget Justification (Weight: 30%) - Focus: Assessment of team expertise, operational planning, and budget justification for value for money.
  • Criterion 4 – Inclusiveness & Balance (Weight: 15%) - Focus: Assessment of proactive measures for organizational diversity, SME inclusion, demographic balance, and geographic spread.

Stay tuned for more information. 
The open call will be launched by 15th June 2026 and the application form will be available on our website under the “Open Calls” menu

We invite all eligible organisations to seize this opportunity to transform Europe into the main stage for global ICT standardisation.