Transcript Standards and innovation What is a standard? How do standards promote innovation? What is the role of governments and the UN?

Standards and innovation
What is a standard?
How do standards promote innovation?
What is the role of governments and the UN?
What is a standard
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An «agreed way of doing something»
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«A document, established by consensus
and approved by a recognized body, that
provides, for common and repeated use,
rules, guidelines or characteristics for
activities or their results, aimed at the
achievement of the optimum degree of
order in a given context» (ISO/IEC Guide
2:2004)
Other examples
- Guidance on societal
security
- Guidance on social
responsibility
- Risk management –
Risk assessment
techniques
- Electrical apparatus for
explosive atmospheres
Standards & innovation
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Intuitively we associate standards with
what is common, stable, and well
mastered
And innovation with the unique, the
game breaker, and the unknown
It is true that the slow uptake of
standards, slow revision of existing
standards, or lack of standards, may
actually slow innovation
Standards promote
innovation?
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Standards give innovators a level playing field
facilitating interoperability and competition
between new and existing products, services and
processes;
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Standards provide customers with trust in the
safety and performance of new products through
reference to standardised methods;
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New standards are needed to introduce complex
new systems, i.e. the Internet;
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The use of standards contributes to diffuse
knowledge & facilitate the application of
technology triggering further innovation.
EU policy: stds and innovation
Role of governments
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Set the basis for vibrant and effective
standardization with participation from
all stakeholders (SMEs, developing
countries)
Facilitate access to standards (for
example by publishing abstracts of
standards)
Encourage both formal and informal
standardization as appropriate for
different sectors
Avoid reference to dated standards in
regulations
Role of the United Nations
• Promote good regulatory practice
(i.e. reference to standards)
• Promote convergence in technical
regulations in particularly important
sectors (as a level playing field will
facilitate interoperability)
• Promote good practice in the
enforcement of regulations (such as
market surveillance) so as to ensure
that IPRs are protected
UNECE WP. 6
What we are:
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Intergovernmental body
Participation by: authorities, regional & int’l org, standardssetting bodies, business, certification bodies, test houses, civil
society
From all UN Member States
1970 – 2010: 40+ years
Our mandate:
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Forum for dialogue on:
Standardization
Technical
regulations
Conformity assessment
Accreditation
Metrology
Market surveillance
Our activities
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Share info & best practice
Capacity-building
Develop and maintain a set of recommendations
Implement a set of initiatives on specific industrial sectors
Main areas of work
Sectoral initiatives:
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Develop/implement common regulatory framework x specific
sectors
So far: Telecommunications, Earth-moving equipment,
ExEquipment
Market surveillance:
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Develop and share best practice/recommendations
Develop a common terminology
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Worldwide database
of market surveillance authorities
Risk Management:
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Best practice/Recommendation on using risk management tools in
developing and implementing regulations
New: 2 Recommendations + A book on “Crisis Management” and
“Risk management in Regulatory systems”
Next annual session
18-20 November 2013
19 Nov. International Conference on
Regulations and Standards which will
discuss some of the concerns raised above