The Spanish Association for Standardization, UNE, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and the European standardization body CEN hosted on 28 and 29 April the international conference “Academic Standards Day Madrid 2025", an event that is part of the European project Edu4Standards, financed by the Horizon Europe programme. It was held at the UPM School of Telecommunications Engineers (ETSIT).
Addressed to university students, professors, researchers and industry professionals, it provided insight into the strategic role of standards in innovation, higher education and industrial development through talks, panel discussions, interactive activities and networking venues.
Exploring Standardization
Students took the lead in the session on 28 April, in which experts from UNE, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and industry explained the impact of standardization on shared progress and how to apply it while in university and in their future careers.
The speakers included: Manuel Sierra, ETSIT, UPM; Mónica Sanzo and Daniel Massó, UNE; Alejandro Rodríguez, UNED; Miguel Ángel Valero, UPM; José Antonio Jiménez, UNE; Leopoldo Ballarin, Spanish Society of Acoustics (SEA); Diego Ramos, IEEE; Gerson Villalba, BSH Electrodomésticos; Alfonso Marín Fernández, FREMAP; and José María del Álamo, UPM.
Innovation in Education and Standardization
The session held on 29 April was aimed at teaching and research staff, who had the opportunity to learn about innovative methods for teaching standardization, how to incorporate standards into new learning models, and the role of standardization as a key tool for Europe’s social and economic transformation.
The invited speakers were: Hugo Alexer Parada, UPM; Yod Samuel Martín, UPM; Marian Sáenz, Universidad Pontificia de Comillas; Jorge Marcos, Universidad de Vigo; Juan José González, SEPTER; Amelie Leipprand, DIN; and Daniel Massó, UNE.
The experts gathered at the "Academic Standards Day Madrid 2025" agreed that education on standardization is gaining increasing prominence at both European and international levels. In this context, the European Standardization Strategy includes training as one of its five cornerstones and is driving the development of teaching materials, active engagement of teachers and actions such as holding academic standardization events.
