With the support of the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Standards Australia has begun a two-year program to boost capability for Critical and Emerging Technologies in South-East Asia.

Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) are current and emerging technologies with the capacity to significantly enhance a country’s economic success, security, and social cohesion.

Standards for CET is a continually emerging field and is central to the safety, security, and wellbeing of Australia, and our international and regional partners.

A significant, targeted effort is needed to prioritise activity and build CET capability in South-East Asia, which is why Standards Australia is pleased to announce the continuation of its CET program. This program is committed to exploring this standardisation in CET and building knowledge locally and regionally. This includes enhancing the effective participation of South-East Asian experts into the development of CET standards in international standards fora, and the improved adoption and use of these standards within South-East Asian economies

The program began with a Community of Practice Virtual Workshop held on Tuesday 16^th August. Attendees included participants from the 2021 CET Summit and Masterclasses who volunteered for Community of Practice in 2021, South East Asian National Standards Body (NSB) representatives.

The interactive session detailed the CET program, and polled attendees on areas of interest and areas of training. The session allowed attendees to reconnect and build networking opportunities.

Adam Stingemore, General Manager Engagement and Communication of Standards Australia opened the session and explained the importance of development in CET:

“We’ve very pleased with the progress the CET program made in its inaugural year and look forward to continuing to improve on the development, adoption and use of international standards. We’re hopeful that we’ll continue to see engagement from diverse national stakeholders with tangible outcomes in their local standards bodies over the coming year,” he said.

Dr Tobias Feakin, DFAT’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology says: “International Standards that support interoperability, innovation, and security by design are critical to fostering security and prosperity across our region, which is why DFAT, through our Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation Program (CCTCP), continues to support Standards Australia’s Critical and Emerging Technologies Program in South East Asia.”

This meeting is the first step in the Standards Australia CET program, which will run until June 2024. Other activities include:

• ASEAN Critical and Emerging Technologies Summit and Masterclasses in 2022 and 2023
• Development of a Critical Technology Standards Landscaping and Research report per country.
• NSB capability assessment, including in country capability assessment report and recommendations. This will identify opportunities and strengths in South East Asian NSBs to support the integration of international standards for CET.
• Webinars, workshops and training.
• Development of critical technology action plan per country.

“The program’s ultimate goal is to empower regional partners, ranging from National Standards Bodies to policy-makers' capacity to develop, adopt and use International Standards for CET in a targeted way – so that safety, security and trade can be improved,” Mr Stingemore concluded.