Harmonised Assessment of Regulatory Bottleneck and Standardisation Needs for the Process Industry
The objective of the HARMONI project is to address non-regulatory bottlenecks, which hinder the transferability of available technologies, as well as the potential for standardisation.
So far, the HARMONI project has been analysing and compelling regulatory barriers, as well as other non-technological barriers. In addition, the project has identified standardisation needs in relevant on-going or recently finished EU projects. The wealth of information collected during surveys (from A.SPIRE and P4P) and interviews with project coordinators, has helped establish that barriers do indeed significantly affect investment plans within companies; therefore, reducing the transferability of available or close to market solutions. Consequently, this research has also served to boosting engagement from experts.
Furthermore, all of the Technical Committees (TCs) and related on-going working groups under the umbrella of CEN and CENELEC, and other linked bodies, have been assessed. The aim was to have an elaborated overview of all the elements related to standardisation at an early stage of the project. One of the major outcomes from the first half of the HARMONI project has been the STAIR platform STAIR-IPI, created by CEN and CENELEC. The platform has for intention to amplify cooperation between the process industry and standardisation on a European level. As such, the STAIR-IPI is a tool to foster communication between both and develop suggestions to optimise present structures.
The project has also conducted an analysis on the current participation of the process industry within the EU legislative and regulatory process, through mapping the formal opportunities provided by the EU institutions in the policy cycle, and synthesising the experience from the SPIRE Associations. Hence, the HARMONI project has provided an analysis giving an overview what the European standardisation system is about and the current involvement of the process industry within these processes.
On the 16-17 January next year, the HARMONI project will be hosting the 2019 HARMONI Summit in Brussels. The aim of the summit is to establish the right framework for industry, where insight into key topics such as the circular economy, innovation mission concepts and exclusive HARMONI project results will be showcased.
Additionally, the project will seek to deliver suggestions for optimal participation of the process industry within the EU standardisation processes. Examples of solutions will be transferred across the sectors, as well as a list of areas with high transferability potential across SPIRE sectors. A transferability toolkit and list of barriers for transferability of innovative solutions will also be delivered. The project will conclude with a final workshop in the fall of next year.
For more information about the HARMONI project we invite you to have a look at deliverables achieved thus far: