Brussels, 12 December – Small Business Standards (SBS), the voice of European SMEs in standardisation, successfully wrapped up the first edition of Meeting Standards. Coinciding with the European SME week, this initiative has significantly contributed to enhancing SME awareness about the crucial role of standards in Europe.
Launched this year in spring, Meeting Standards is a campaign designed to rally SME representatives and standardisation stakeholders across Europe around SME standardisation topics and activities. By visiting meetingstandards.eu, any individual or organisation could submit a proposal for an activity aimed at raising the awareness of SMEs in Europe within the campaign’s period which this year took place between 14 and 21 November 2023.
Early estimates indicate that the campaign surpassed its initial target, recording more than 350 participants, and engaging with an impressive 5000 SME and standardisation stakeholders across Europe through the different platforms and channels.
Different research projects (STAND4EU, HSBooster, StandICT, Blockstand), organisations (COSMED, EBC, SMEunited) and experts participated in the campaign by organising activities on a variety of standards-related topics such as blockchain technologies, smart manufacturing, cosmetics, AI, construction and the new Construction Products Regulation or innovation management.
The campaign kicked off with a workshop organised in the context of the SME Assembly in Bilbao dedicated to standards and their role in the 30 years of the EU single market. In this context, SBS also launched a brochure on the same topic.
The campaign also saw the launch of the “Meeting Her Standards” podcast highlighting the work of women in standardisation in various key sectors. The journey ended on 21 November with SBS’ flagship conference, a prime annual forum for discussing standardisation and related policies. This year’s theme, “SMEs and smart manufacturing – Standards as accelerators of industry change”, was especially relevant, reflecting the significant presence and importance of SMEs in Europe’s manufacturing sector.
Welcoming the successful conclusion of the campaign, SBS Secretary General Maitane Olabarria commented: “The inaugural SBS Meeting Standards campaign has been an incredibly rewarding collaboration experience. It has been a privilege to engage with our partners in this awareness-raising effort. We are already enthusiastic about a greater campaign next year. Join us in November 2024 for the next edition of the campaign!”
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