ISO DIS 56001 - open for public comment

Have your say on the ISO 56001, as highlighted in a recent Forbes article entitled “Three Steps To Professionalize Innovation With ISO 56001 Certification Standard” this article emphasises the importance of this Standard “ ISO 56001, the upcoming requirements standard for innovation management, has the potential to revolutionize how innovation has been managed for the past 20 years”.

What is ISO 56001 – Innovation Management System Standard?

ISO 56001 is  going to be an internationally recognized standard that provides a framework for organizations to establish, implement, and continuously improve their innovation management systems. It will be a requirements based management system standard that will help companies foster a culture of innovation, streamline their processes, and drive sustainable growth. This standard will be in line with other ISO management system standards such as ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 14001 (environmental management) and ISO 50001 (energy management). ISO’s management system standards (MSS) are among the most widely used and recognized documents that help organisations improve their performance by specifying repeatable steps that organisations implement to achieve their goals and objectives, and to create an organisational culture that engages in a continuous cycle of improvement. Standards are one of the key drivers for innovation, making yesterday’s impossibilities tomorrow’s reality.

Why is innovation important?

The importance of innovation is highlighted at an international level through the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), at an European level through the European Innovation Agenda. While at a national policy level, Innovation 2020, Enterprise 2025 and IMPACT 2030 emphasise the importance of standards in supporting an innovative Irish ecosystem. Standards facilitate the introduction of innovative products by providing interoperability between the new and existing products, services and processes. In their recent extensive report on SME productivity and entrepreneurship in Ireland, (OECD) emphasised the importance of engaging in standards development and standards use. The OECD highlighted that ‘compliance with standards is underplayed as a lever to support SMEs to upgrade their management practices’.  

Standards also provide a solid base on which innovation can thrive and are essential tools to help governments, industry and consumers contribute to the achievement of each and every one of the UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). To this end governments can rely on standards as a base on which to create public policy that helps further SDG goals such as industry innovation and infrastructure, work and economic growth, water and energy efficiency, public health, and others.

How can I have my say?

Have your say on the most influential way for companies to manage innovation by clicking on the following link Innovation management — Innovation management system — Requirements | NEP (nsainep.ie) and submitting comments before the 23rd of November 2023.

ISO and UNIDO have developed training on ISO 56002 Innovation management — Innovation management system — Guidance that is available for free at the following link Managing Innovation | UNIDO Knowledge Hub