​​Technical standards and strategic standardisation

Standards are a driver of technical change, and in many fields, they determine the direction of future technology. In a world where almost no product or service is standard-alone, standards provide for interoperability. But they also support safety, quality, and sustainability. Moreover, they have a business impact, determining the winners and losers, and are increasingly important in politics, strategic autonomy, and trade.

​In this course, you develop a deep understanding of standards and how companies can influence them. In weekly lectures, we build on academic literature from economics, innovation and management, and also link that to the legal field. Via several guest lectures, you will learn from professionals; in the group assignment you will investigate a specific standard yourself; and via a serious game, you will work on skills that allow you to participate in standard setting.

​Knowledge on standardisation is also highly valued by employers, making it a valuable asset in the job market. To signal your expertise, this course prepares you for the Pan-European Certificate of Knowledge in Standardisation, supported by the European Commission, likely introduced in 2026.

​This course builds on a basic understanding of standards and standardisation, which is offered in ITEC-A 0LVX20/0LVX40 module “Tech Strategy: Patents and Standards” but can also be obtained by self-study via short video lectures made available to you.

​​After this course, students are able to:

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• ​Understand what standards are and the role they play in firms, economy and society,
• ​Explain how standards are related to values and identify potential value conflicts in a given standardization case,
• ​Apply theories about standardization to real-world cases in order to interpret the strategic actions by companies and other stakeholders to influence standards in their interest,
• ​Illustrate the interactions between standards and the regulation of technology,
• ​Critically reflect on the relationship between standards and innovation and the relation between standards and intellectual property,
• ​Analyse the development and impact of a selected standard in their field of study on business and society,
• ​Apply consensus-building techniques to solve a problem in a group setting.

​​This course builds on a basic understanding of standards and standardisation , including (1) what standards are, (2) their role in technology, industry, and society, (3) how and where standards are developed. This knowledge is offered in ITEC-A 0LVX20/0LVX40 module “Tech Strategy: Patents and Standards” but can also be obtained by self-study via short video lectures made available to the students of this course).

• Abdelkafi, N., Bekkers, R. N. A., Bolla, R., Rodriguez-Ascaso, A. & Wetterwald, M. (2021). Understanding ICT Standardization: Principles and Practice (2nd edition). Sofia Antipolis, France: ETSI. 280 p. ISBN: 979-10-92620-50-1. Open Access publication.
• Indicated in CANVAS, will be available via TU/e library