Press release - 30 March 2018

With the STANDICT.eu Open Call ICT standards specialists can now apply for funding to support contributions to standardisation activities across multiple technologies and domains.

With a total funding of €1.4 million, the STANDICT.eu Open Calls offer a unique opportunity to EU standards specialists to apply for grants to support various types of contributions to ICT international and national standardisation activities. The initiative aims to ensure that the EU plays a key role in making ICT services and technologies interoperable, secure and benchmarked. ICT standards are a critical piece of the digital single market by supporting open systems and interfaces, and helping to keep markets open.
This first of ten Open Calls targets specialists with expertise in technology enablers and security such as 5G, cloud, cyber security, big data and the Internet of Things, as well as a range of application domains that will benefit from standard setting in horizontal technologies, from digital health and intelligent transport systems to smart energy and environmental impact, among others. 

Who can apply for the 1st Open Call? 
Experts contributing to ICT standardisation: Professionals with proven expertise and experience in standardisation coming from both public and private sectors in EEA member countries and Switzerland, industry and service companies including SMEs and start-ups, academia and research, and national and European associations, including NGOs representing consumers interests. Applicants can apply for 3 types of grants of up to €8,000. 

Open Call Topics
The 10 cycles of Open Calls will cover key ICT standardisation priority areas with further focus on specific vertical sectors. The 1st Call topics follow the priority areas outlined in the 2018 Rolling Plan for ICT Standardisation.

• Key enablers and security: 5G; cloud computing; Public information, open data, big data; Internet of Things; Cybersecurity / Network and information security; Electronic identification and trust services, including e-signatures; e-Privacy; e-infrastructures for research data and computing intensive science; Broadband infrastructure mapping; Accessibility of ICT products and services
• Societal challenges: eHealth, healthy living and aging; e-Skills and e-Learning; Emergency communications; eGovernment; eCall.
• Innovation for the digital single market: e-Procurement (Pre- and Post-award); e-Invoicing; Card, internet and mobile payments; Preservation of digital cinema; Fintech and Regtech Standardisation; Blockchain and distributed digital ledger technologies. 
• Sustainable growth: Smart grids and smart metering; Smart cities / technologies and services for smart and efficient energy use; ICT environmental impact; European Electronic Toll Service (EETS); Intelligent transport systems (ITS); Advanced manufacturing; Robotics and autonomous systems; construction - building information modelling; Common information sharing environment (CISE) for the EU maritime domain. 

Deadline for submitting applications: 29 May 2018. 
Online applications at https://2020.standict.eu/OpenCalls/1st-Open-Call

Open Call for Evaluators
StandICT.eu is also running an Open Call for evaluators. All professionals within the EU and associated countries can apply to become an independent reviewer of the applications received based on their proven areas of specialisation. 

Online applications at https://2020.standict.eu/evaluator/register