Pre-standardization and R & D
It is essential for ETSI to remain at the forefront of the ICT technology for fulfilling the expectation of the ETSI membership to get the standards that will allow them to develop their business with innovative services and equipments.
The progress of innovation requires a good balance between collaboration and competition and standardization is serving as the foundation to provide this balance.
This is why ETSI seeks contribution from R&D projects and activities as they carry information on the latest developments in ICT technologies and help to coordinate the resource allocation to new promising subjects in an effective and timely way.
In many cases research projects do not include standardization early enough, because they are not aware of the benefits. They quite often believe that standardization requires full manufacturing and distributes forces at the expense of SMEs or research centers. But, on contrary, early standards work gains big time-to-market advantages, because:
- Products are commercialized faster
- Products reach global markets
- Standardization contributes to customer confidence
- Standardization exploits research results
- Standardization ensures interoperability
- Standardization lowers the burden of evolution and maintenance, supported by industry
- Standardization improves technologies and products through multiple feed-back
It is however not always straightforward to create the conditions of a good and efficient interface between the R&D and standardization communities that have different background and mindset. The ISGs structure may usefully help to speed up the standardization process (quick approval, instant operational pack and quick set-up).
ETSI has included the relationship with Academia and Research as one of the strategic topics for 2007/2008, and intends to develop specific targeted actions to develop membership from this community and attract them in the standardization activities.