The call has been launched: it is already for the seventh time that Austrian Standards invites Austria's enterprises to present their best practices, i.e. projects in which standards or the development of standards play a key role. Enterprises, organizations, research institutions, start-ups as well as individuals may submit their projects and products by 30 September 2020. The call is open in three categories, namely "Enabling Solutions", "Reaching International Markets" and "Developing Future Technology".
From an idea to the global market: standards frequently work in the background to ensure the quality and safety of products and services. In business, however, it is precisely these practice-oriented recommendations that turn innovative solutions into exportable ideas and technologies of the future. From industry to society and on to the environment, standards are the crucial factor allowing us to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. They enable numerous enterprises and organizations to generate momentum in the market and succeed in international competition.
MAM soothers: building on safety towards an international standard
That is what last year's award winner MAM Babyartikel achieved as the company was able to set international standards for baby soothers on the basis of good ideas already from the 1980s on. "At that time we were the fourth country having safety standards for baby products. This was the reason why we were awarded the chair for developing European standards," MAM founder Peter Röhrig remembers. The particularly high level of the EU standards adopted then also prompted other countries such as China, Australia and Brazil to take over those standards. "We have really great safety standards now. No wonder that we are copied all over the world," explains Röhrig.
Well-established companies and hidden champions rely on standards
The objective of Austrian Standards is to reward outstanding achievements in the application and development of standards and raise their public visibility with the Living Standards Award. The winners have the opportunity to become part of the Community of Excellence that already includes numerous innovative enterprises, administrative organizations, research institutions and start-ups. The range covered by the award-winning projects illustrates the diversity and variety of subjects in standardization. Standards do not only lay the foundation for efficient work processes and procedures, but also create interfaces and thereby ensure connections to further production and supply chains.
Expert jury selects winners
An international expert jury reviews the submissions in three Award categories reflecting the diverse applications of standards:
- Category "Enabling Solutions": The focus is on the development or application of standards that improve the quality of living and working or make processes safer, simpler and more efficient based on intelligent solutions.
- Category "Reaching International Markets": The focus is on products or services that become more competitive and more successful in international markets based on the use or development of standards.
- Category "Developing Future Technology": The focus is on best practices for the development or application of standards paving the way for new approaches and solutions in the field of research and innovation.
