English
Singapore to develop over 40 new standards for new tech, business models
MORE than 40 new standards for nascent areas including drones, additive manufacturing and video analytics will be developed over the next year, as the Singapore Standards Council (SSC) steps up its standardisation efforts to keep pace with economic transformation and novel technologies, it said on Monday morning.
In the past year, the industry-led SSC published 19 new standards to support such nascent areas, including a technical reference on data interchange for last-mile delivery using parcel locker networks, and another technical reference for autonomous vehicles.
Enterprise Singapore (ESG), which oversees the execution of the Singapore Standardisation Programme led by the SSC, said it will also increase industry collaboration by getting more new industry experts to lead and support the development of these new standards. This will be important especially for nascent areas, “where greater collaboration and discussion are crucial to identify the new and unaddressed needs for standards development”, said ESG.
Currently, about 2,000 standards partners are involved in the Singapore Standardisation Programme, representing a diverse range of stakeholders from industry, academia and government organisations.
“Quality and standards have supported our economic growth and will continue to shape Singapore’s future,” said Robert Chew, SSC chairman and managing partner of iGlobe Partners.
“It will underpin innovation, facilitate market access for enterprises and drive interoperability. It is important that public and private sector stakeholders come forward and lead the development of critical standards for Singapore.”
SSC will also strengthen its participation in international fora, to continue advancing Singapore’s interest in standards. It currently participates in technical committees developing international standards in areas like blockchain, artificial intelligence, circular economy and smart manufacturing.
In addition, SSC is leading the development of new standards by the International Standards Organisation for bunkering, cloud computing and water efficiency.
Said Choy Sauw Kook, ESG’s director-general, quality & excellence: “It is important for Singapore to deepen its involvement in the global conversation on standards to ensure that our industries contribute to the development of new international standards and meet requirements as they are launched.”
Standards are a set of specifications designed to enhance market acceptance, innovation and quality in various materials, products, methods and services, which are reviewed once every five years. While compliance to Singapore standards is voluntary, it becomes mandatory when the standards are used by government bodies in regulations or administrative requirements for safety, health and environmental issues.
ESG noted that disruptive developments can cause economic displacement as well as provide opportunities for new business models to thrive, and standards serve as guides for best practices, helping businesses better navigate and respond to these disruptions.
Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-to-develop-over-40-new-standards-for-new-tech-business-models