Bridging Innovation and Standardization
UNE’s Role in the HARMONISE Project
As the HARMONISE project enters its second year, its impact is becoming increasingly visible—not only in technological development but also in how innovation is translated into real-world application. At the heart of this transformation is UNE, leading the project’s standardization activities and ensuring that cutting-edge research does not remain theoretical, but becomes actionable and scalable.
From Research to Standards: UNE’s Strategic Role
Within HARMONISE, UNE plays a critical role as a bridge between innovation and implementation. Leading key tasks across Work Packages 6, 7, and 8, the team is actively shaping the standardization landscape and strategy, contributing both to initial and final standardization activities.
Their mission is clear: to ensure that the project’s technical outcomes align with existing European and international standards, while also identifying gaps that future standards must address.
By doing so, UNE enables the transition from research results to practical, widely adoptable solutions.
A Collaborative Ecosystem Across Disciplines
One of the most defining aspects of the HARMONISE project has been its multidisciplinary collaboration.
According to UNE’s contributor, Federico Schmidt, the experience so far has been “very positive”, particularly due to the interaction between partners from different countries and fields. Engineers, researchers, and standardization experts are working side by side, creating a unique environment where knowledge converges.
This collaboration has allowed the project to evolve from conceptual discussions to concrete outputs, demonstrating strong engagement across the consortium.
Challenges: Aligning Diverse Perspectives
However, collaboration at this scale does not come without challenges.
One of the main difficulties has been aligning perspectives among partners with different technical backgrounds and priorities. Ensuring coherence between research objectives and standardization requirements requires continuous effort.
The solution?
👉 Regular communication and close collaboration.
Through ongoing dialogue with technical partners, UNE has been able to better understand how project outcomes connect with standardization processes—ensuring alignment without slowing innovation.
A Key Lesson: Start Standardization Early
One of the most valuable lessons emerging from the project is clear:
Standardization should not be an afterthought—it must be integrated from the very beginning of research projects.
This early integration ensures that innovations are not only developed, but also implementable, scalable, and adoptable.
Moments That Matter: Collaboration in Action
Among the highlights of the project, consortium meetings stand out as key moments of exchange and collaboration. These gatherings have provided opportunities to strengthen relationships, share ideas, and align visions.
A particularly notable aspect has been the cooperation between technical experts and standardization specialists to tackle interoperability challenges in energy systems, a crucial issue for the future of energy in Europe.
Creating Impact Beyond the Project
UNE’s contribution extends far beyond internal project activities.
By connecting HARMONISE results with standardization frameworks, UNE ensures that:
- project outputs can influence future standards
- solutions are interoperable and scalable
- innovations can be adopted across Europe
This creates real value not only for stakeholders, but also for end-users, who benefit from more reliable and standardized energy solutions.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Influence
As the project progresses, UNE is particularly excited about:
- the maturation of technical results
- their translation into future standardization activities
There is also a strong ambition to:
- strengthen collaboration with European standardization committees
- share HARMONISE insights with a broader community
A Project with a Purpose
At its core, HARMONISE demonstrates something fundamental:
The future of energy does not depend only on innovation—
but on how effectively that innovation is translated into standards.
UNE’s work highlights the importance of connecting research, innovation, and standardization to support Europe’s energy transition.
💬 Voice from UNE
“Projects like HARMONISE show how collaboration between research, industry, and standardization can help turn innovation into practical solutions.”