In Austria, the ASD took place on 16 June 2026 in Graz, in the Aula of the University of Graz.
The event was organised as part of the EDU4Standards.eu project by Austrian Standards International and the local research association “Gesellschaft, Recht und IT” (FGRuIT). It brought together representatives of Graz’s higher education institutions, including the University of Graz, the Medical University of Graz, Graz University of Technology, CAMPUS 02 University of Applied Sciences, and FH JOANNEUM.
The programme featured substantive morning input, including presentations and a panel discussion. Contributions came from the fields of policy, standardisation, industry, funding organisations, and researchers and teachers from universities and universities of applied sciences. Topics addressed included knowledge valorisation, trustworthy AI, digital humanities, health, law, business, cybersecurity, human rights, ethics, education, and technology transfer. The closing panel discussed why and how researchers can and should engage in standardisation.
After lunch, the poster session including 19 posters and highlighting the relevance of standardisation across different disciplines, invited participants to ask questions to the poster presenters. By using a personal “favourite standard” as a starting point, a World Café was designed to encourage even thematic newcomers to reflect on the relevance of standardisation. Supported by the team of Raum117, participants were encouraged to record a 30-second video about their “favourite standard”. The audience evaluated the 12 submissions. The main prizes included one seminar at the Austrian Standards Academy, two free EURAS tickets, and restaurant vouchers.
What made the Austrian ASD special was the mix of experienced standardisation experts from standards bodies, policy, business and academia, together with university teachers, some of whom were engaging with standardisation for the first time. This created an opportunity to discuss how standardisation could be integrated into teaching Initial plans for future collaboration have been drawn up, such as the reciprocal invitation of guest speakers to speak on standardisation in university courses. There was also a strong commitment to continuing the ASD as a platform for discussion on standardisation in the future. Implementation will, of course, depend on funding.
What worked well: The collaboration across the Graz higher education institutions helped position standardisation as a topic for different disciplines and not only for technical fields. The combination of presentations, posters, discussion formats and short videos supported different forms of engagement. The event also worked as a multiplier format for academic teachers, who can bring standardisation into courses and thereby reach students. The World Café and the pop-up video format helped participants move from a first personal reflection on standards to a concrete communication output.
Recommendations: Newcomers to standardisation can easily feel hesitant, especially when the topic is introduced in abstract or technical terms. A personal entry point, such as asking participants about their favourite standard, can lower this threshold and help them open up to the topic. Academic teachers should also be involved as multipliers: if they can be engaged, students are more likely to encounter standardisation in their courses and understand its relevance for their own disciplines.