The COVID-19 epidemic has raised concerns around supply chains and the need for more innovation. So how can organisations be innovative enough in order to deal with an increasingly uncertain world? Standards Australia has recently published three AS ISO standards on Innovation management — about guidance, vocabulary, and tools and methods for innovative partnerships. A Consumers Federation of Australia (CFA) representative is a member of the Standards Australia Technical Committee contributing to the work of ISO TC 279, which includes innovation specialists from 43 other countries to develop international innovation management standards. Read more here.
One of the standards, AS ISO 56003, is about innovation partnerships developed to create value for each partner working together. Benefits of an innovation partnership include: access to knowledge, skills, technology and other intellectual assets that are not available within the organization; and access to infrastructure resources, such as experimental laboratories and equipment to develop new or improved product and services. This standard provides recommendations for engaging in external partnerships to realise innovation.
As part of the CFA Standards Project, CFA representatives aim for solutions of benefit to consumers, advocate for the consumer interest to be considered, and for the standard to include acceptable requirements for consumer protection. Find out how you can get involved here