Programme Category
Programme Name
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
he objective of the funding is to enable the specialists to contribute to and help create a fully integrated European Standardisation Ecosystem, thereby strengthening Europe’s position in global standardisation initiatives.
Detailed Call Description
Under the StandICT.eu 2029, the call “Call 2 – Short Term and Long Term Funding to support ICT standardisation”, has opened for the submission of proposals.
In a series of six open calls, running until August 2027, StandICT.eu will provide € 4 200 000 of direct funding to support the participation of European standardisation specialists in key international and global Standards Development Organisations (SDOs). The objective of the funding is to enable the specialists to contribute to and help create a fully integrated European Standardisation Ecosystem, thereby strengthening Europe’s position in global standardisation initiatives.
For the first open call, applicants can request 2 types of support:
- Long term contribution (LT): Contribution to ongoing standards development as a chair, convener, rapporteur or member of an SDO WG. For example, commenting on standards development and drafts, attending meetings as an observer, and paying membership fees.
- Short term contribution (ST): Contribution to standards documentation e.g. liaison to WG, comments on standards drafts, participation at meeting paying membership fees.
For Open Call 2, the following priority topics have been identified:
- Applications on Artificial Intelligence, contributing in particular to CEN-CENELEC JTC 21;
- Applications on technical topics covered by the EC Standardisation Request on high-risk AI-systems, with the following priorities:
- Urgent priority:
- governance and quality of datasets,
- accuracy specifications,
- robustness specifications,
- record keeping through logging capabilities,
- transparency and information provisions for users,
- human oversight.
- Less urgent priority but still important:
- risk management systems,
- cybersecurity specifications,
- quality management systems.
- Urgent priority:
Applications should focus on the topics taken from the Multi-Stakeholder Platform Rolling Plan for ICT Standardisation, namely:
FOUNDATIONAL DRIVERS
- Data economy
- Cybersecurity / network and information security
- ePrivacy
KEY ENABLERS
- 5G and beyond
- Cloud and edge computing
- Data interoperability
- Internet of Things
- Electronic identification and trust services including e-signatures
- e-Infrastructures for data and computing intensive science and the European Open Science Cloud
- Broadband infrastructure mapping
- Accessibility of ICT products and services
- Artificial Intelligence
- European Global Navigation Satellite System (EGNSS)
- Quantum Technologies
SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
- Digital health, healthy living and ageing
- Digital skills
- Digital learning
- eGovernment
- eCall
- Pandemic preparedness
- Safety, transparency and due process online
- Emergency communications and public warning systems
INNOVATION FOR THE DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET
- e-Procurement – pre- and post award
- e-Invoicing
- Retail Payments
- Preservation of digital cinema
- Fintech and Regtech Standardisation
- Blockchain and Distributed Digital Ledger Technologies
- Web 4.0 and virtual worlds
- Media
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
- Smart grids and smart metering
- Smart and sustainable cities and communities
- ICT Environmental impact
- European Electronic Toll Service (EETS)
- Intelligent Transport Systems – Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (ITS-CCAM) and Electromobility
- Digitisation of European Industry
- Robotics and autonomous systems
- Construction – building information modelling
- Water Management Digitalisation
- Single European Sky
- U-space
- Circular economy and sustainability
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The call budget for this Open Call is up to € 650 000. In a series of six open calls, running until August 2027, StandICT.eu will provide € 4 200 000 of direct funding to support the participation of European standardisation specialists in key international and global Standards Development Organisations (SDOs).
Three types of proposals can be funded under the StandICT.eu Open Calls, as below:
- Proposal type: Long term contribution (LT)
Description: Contribution to ongoing standards development as a chair, convener, rapporteur or member of an SDO WG. For example, commenting on standards development and drafts, attending meetings as an observer, and paying membership fees.
Maximum Duration: 9 months.
Funding Range: up to €10.000.
- Proposal type: Short-Term contributions (ST)
Description: Contribution to standards documentation e.g. liaison to WG, comments on standards drafts, participation at meeting paying membership fees.
Maximum Duration: 3 months
Funding Range: up to €5.000.
- Proposal type: Organisation of Standardisation Meetings (SM)
Description: Pilot type. Support to the organisation of strategic standardisation meetings in Europe, endorsed by an international SDO, global forum, or consortium. Eligible costs include venue and equipment rental, catering, communication materials, and travel and accommodation for key participants.
Maximum Duration: 6 months, depending on the scale and timing of the meeting.
Funding Range: Up to €50.000.
A third, pilot-type, proposal application has been introduced under this edition: the category regarding the Organisation of Standardisation Meetings (SM), aimed at supporting the hosting of international standardisation meetings in Europe. In this particular funding typology, the maximum funding per application is set at € 50 000, and the same organisation may only be awarded once under this scheme for the duration of the project.
Both the maximum funding requested per proposal and the respective type of application (LT, ST, SM) cannot exceed that indicated.
Applications for SM calls are expected to start later than LT and ST calls.
For LT and ST Contributions, a total budget of approximately €4.000.000 will be allocated.
For SM Contributions, a total budget of approximately €200.000 will be allocated.
These are estimated amounts that will be better defined during the Open Calls process management, based on the topics and strategic needs of the project.
StandICT.eu will run 6 Open Call cycles. Each call will be open for 60 days for proposal submission.
At the end of the sixty-day period all proposals received through TRUST-GRANTS platform will be screened for eligibility, evaluated by an external pool of evaluators (EPE) , scored, and ranked for funding. This process takes approximately 35 days, at the end of which all applicants shall be notified with the result of the evaluation process (e.g., retained fellowships or not successful application)and provided with access to a Consensus Report compiled by the EPE.
Applicants can apply to all StandICT.eu Open Calls, and can be funded for a maximum of €50.000 over this current edition of StandICT.eu which will end on 30 September 2028.
Thematic Categories
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
Eligibility for Participation
- Other Beneficiaries
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Applicants to LT and ST contributions must be individuals or natural persons residing in the European Member States and Associate Countries from both public and private sectors, industry and service companies, including SMEs and start-ups, academia and research, and national and European associations, including NGOs representing consumer interests.
Applicants for SM contributions must be organisations based in a European Member State or Associated Country, with a demonstrable role in coordinating or supporting the organisation of meetings on behalf of international SDOs, global fora, or consortia.
Potential applicants are standardisation specialists, defined as professionals with proven expertise and experience in standardisation activities e.g. previous contributions to standards developments, participation in various SDO groups, previous or current chairs etc in the respective priority area.
The target of StandICT.eu Open Calls are European Specialists who:
- have profound knowledge in one of the priority areas supported by the open calls;
- have experience regarding developments of standards, e.g., in SDOs, in groups set-up by the EC, or when creating documentation in open source developments;
- are not receiving support from other instruments (PPPs, EU or national R&I projects) for the proposed activities and are not being funded from other sources for an identical activity.
For the SM – Organisation of Standardisation Meetings proposal type, the target applicants are organisations based in a European Member State or Associated Country, with a demonstrable role in coordinating or supporting the organisation of meetings on behalf of international SDOs, global fora, or consortia. The proposed meetings must align with the objectives and thematic scope defined for each open call cycle. While co-funding from other sources is permitted, the activities supported by StandICT.eu 2029 must be clearly identified and not double-funded.
The most recent information listing participating countries in Horizon Europe issued by the Commission at the time of writing (25/07/2023) can be consulted here EU Grants: List of participating countries (HE). Please refer to this document if you have any doubts as to your eligibility for funding.