Standardization (or standardisation) is the process of developing and agreeing upon technical standards. A standard is a document that establishes uniform engineering or technical specifications, criteria, methods, processes, or practices. Some standards are mandatory while others are voluntary. Voluntary standards are available if one chooses to use them. Some are de facto standards, meaning a norm or requirement which has an informal but dominant status. Some standards are de jure, meaning formal legal requirements. Formal standards organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or the American National Standards Institute, are independent of the manufacturers of the goods for which they publish standards.
The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers (commoditization), compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality. [Source: Wikipedia]
Standardisation is addressed in the ICT work programme 2011/12 (p. 2) under the following challenges/objectives:
> Challenge 1:Pervasive and Trusted Network and Service Infrastructures
Objective ICT-2011.1.1 Future Networks
Objective ICT-2011.1.4 Trustworthy ICT
Objective ICT-2011.1.5 Networked Media and Search Systems
Objective ICT-2011.1.6 Future Internet Research and Experimentation (FIRE)
Objective FI.ICT-2011.1.7 Technology foundation: Future Internet Core Platform
Objective FI.ICT-2011.1.8 Use Case scenarios and early trials
>Challenge 2:Cognitive systems and robotics
> Challenge 3: Alternative Paths to Components and Systems
Objective ICT-2011.3.3 New paradigms for embedded systems, monitoring and control towards complex systems engineering
Objective ICT-2011.3.5 Core and disruptive photonic technologies
> Challenge 5: ICT for Health, Ageing Well, Inclusion and Governance
Objective ICT-2011.5.5 ICT for smart and personalised inclusion
> Challenge 6:ICT for a Low Carbon Economy
Objective ICT-2011.6.2 ICT systems for energy efficiency
Objective ICT-2011.6.6 Low carbon multi-modal mobility and freight transport
Objective ICT-2011.6.7 Cooperative Systems for energy efficient and sustainable mobility
Objective GC-ICT-2011.6.8 ICT for fully electric vehicles
> Challenge 7: ICT for the Enterprise and Manufacturing
Objective FoF-ICT-2011.7.1 Smart Factories: Energy-aware, agile manufacturing and customisation
Objective FoF-ICT-2011.7.2 Manufacturing solutions for new ICT products
Objective FoF-ICT-2011.7.4 Digital factories: Manufacturing design and product lifecycle management
Objective ICT-2011.10.1 EU-Brazil Research and Development cooperation
