BBMRI.at showcased its expertise in ISO and CEN standardisation and on pre-analytical sample quality
The Academic Standards Day and the EURAS Annual Standardisation Conference brought together researchers, standards organisations and policymakers in Graz to discuss the role of standards in science and innovation. Among the contributors was BBMRI.at with presentations on microbiome pre-analytical quality standards and its engagement in ISO and CEN standardisation through BBMRI.at and BBMRI-ERIC.
Standards for research quality and innovation
June 2026 placed Graz at the centre of the European standardisation community with two high-profile events dedicated to the role of standards in research, innovation and society.
On 16 June, the 1st Austrian Academic Standards Day (ASD) brought together researchers, students, higher education institutions, industry and standardisation experts to discuss why standards matter for innovation, education and scientific excellence. Hosted by the University of Graz together with Graz’s higher education institutions and Austrian Standards International, the event is part of the European EDU4Standards initiative, which promotes the integration of standardisation into higher education.
Opening remarks by the leadership of Graz’s universities, including Med Uni Graz Rector Andrea Kurz, underlined the strategic importance of standardisation for academia, research and innovation. Throughout the programme, keynote lectures, panel discussions and interactive sessions highlighted how standards foster innovation, interoperability and trust, particularly in research, higher education and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Just one week later, from 24–26 June, Graz hosted the 30th EURAS Annual Standardisation Conference, organised by the European Academy for Standardisation (EURAS) and the University of Graz under the theme “Values in Standards”. The conference brought together experts from academia, industry, standards organisations and public institutions to discuss how European and international standards support innovation, competitiveness and societal values, with sessions covering digitalisation, artificial intelligence and sustainability.
BBMRI.at showcases expertise in standardisation and microbiome pre-analytics
Representing BBMRI.at Executive Manager Cornelia Stumptner (Medical University of Graz) contributed to both events by presenting BBMRI.at’s expertise in pre-analytical quality and standardisation.
At the Academic Standards Day, she gave a presentation on “How to tackle standardization”, illustrating how research organisations can actively contribute to the development of standards. Her presentation highlighted BBMRI.at’s and BBMRI-ERIC’s long-standing involvement in European and international standardisation through ISO and CEN technical committees, demonstrating how research infrastructures help translate scientific expertise into internationally recognised standards.
In addition, Stumptner presented two posters highlighting the importance of pre-analytical quality standards for microbiome research.
The first showcased the human microbiome standard CEN/TS 17626, one of 22 pre-analytical CEN and ISO standards developed within the EU-funded  SPIDIA4P. project with contributions from BBMRI.at. The poster highlighted key pre-analytical variables and demonstrated how standardised pre-analytical workflows improve sample quality, reproducibility and interoperability across diagnostics, biobanking and biomedical research.
Her second poster, “Lessons from the human microbiome field: Pre-analytical variables for reliable non-human biobanking and research“, presented work from the EU-funded MICROBE project, where Cornelia Stumptner leads the work package on quality management and standardisation. The project builds on expertise gained from human microbiome standardisation to develop pre-analytical recommendations for plant, soil and marine microbiome samples, supporting reproducible research and high-quality biobanking.
Advancing quality through collaboration
Beyond the scientific presentations, the two events provided valuable opportunities to exchange ideas with experts from academia, standards organisations, industry and public authorities. These discussions strengthened BBMRI.at’s network within the European standardisation community and highlighted the important role of research infrastructures in developing practical, evidence-based standards.
Through its continued involvement in ISO and CEN standardisation activities, BBMRI.at, the Medical University of Graz, and BBMRI-ERIC contribute to improving sample quality, reproducibility and interoperability in biomedical and One Health-related research
