SCB Launches Standards Draft Development Consortia
SCB is launching four new standards draft development consortia designed to remove barriers to entry to standards development. Currently, it can be challenging for stakeholders to not only keep track of the many in-progress standards that may impact their work but also provide substantive feedback on each of them. SCB’s consortia will provide an alternative that allows stakeholders to easily provide input on multiple standards without a major time commitment. After collecting input from the consortia of groups of standards on the same topic, SCB will present the consortia input as a consolidated group response to the relevant standards developing organizations (SDOs) (e.g., ASTM, ISO).
Consortia Topics
SCB selects consortia topics by identifying areas that have a high level of need—topics that have many standards currently under development but lack sufficient input from experts to confirm the standards will meet current challenges in the field and be reasonable to adopt. Current consortia topics include:
Organoids
Microphysiological systems
SCB plans to launch additional consortia in the future, including consortia focused on:
Mesenchymal stromal cells
Extracellular vesicles
How the Consortia Work
Unlike traditional working groups, the consortia will provide an overview of all the standards underway in a given topic and the opportunity to provide input on multiple active standards projects.
SCB and technical leads summarize the current standards under development related to the consortia topic and assess areas of concern to bring to the consortia for discussion.
SCB and a technical lead guide discussion on these key areas and solicit consortia member input (e.g., on common practices relevant to the standards).
Consortia meetings will occur virtually every 1-2 months and last approximately one hour; participation is voluntary.
Benefits of Joining an SCB Consortium
Quickly gain a broad understanding of upcoming standards on a given topic
Provide your input to help ensure standards are aligned to best practices and will meet your organization’s needs
Offer feedback on standards without the need to join relevant SDOs or track revisions across multiple standards
Have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss standards early to more easily implement them once they are released
Get Involved
To join a consortia or volunteer as a technical lead, sign up via the consortia form, indicating the topics of interest to you. Stakeholders are welcome to join multiple consortia.