Network

• Creating a standardized framework for the digital exchange and verification of product conformity information to improve the efficiency and reliability of conformity assessments in international trade is also the goal of UN/CEFACT. A project group has published the white paper "Digital Product Conformity Certificate Exchange" with the participation of QIDigital, as well as the corresponding Business Requirement Specification. The German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) also contributed to this.
• The "Digitalization" working group of EUROLAB, the European interest group for laboratories, deals with a wide range of aspects relating to the laboratory of the future – both at the level of the operational, process-related laboratory and at the level of the regulatory and business environment. QI-Digital is represented by BAM. A joint work plan with Eurachem is intended to address the most important priorities, including validation of equipment and software, interoperability and integration of laboratory systems, data storage and data protection.
• For conformity assessment in the field of metrology, the notified bodies in Europe coordinate their activities in the NoBoMet committee. The PTB coordinates a working group on the coordination of digital certificates.
• Decisions and measures require a sound data basis: For its study on the state of digitization in conformity assessment bodies worldwide, BAM is working with a partner network of accreditation bodies and UNIDO. Joint international events on the digitalization of QI strengthen knowledge transfer and create understanding of the situation and best practices in different regions of the world – including emerging and developing countries on all continents.

• The German Accreditation Body DAkkS actively participates in the technical policy dialogue process of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure (GPQI) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). Together with various partner organizations from different countries, DAkkS discusses not only technical policy issues, but also the role of digitalization and presents the → digital tools of QI. In particular, → digital certificates with the → digital accreditation symbol (→ eAttestation), which serve as digital solutions for removing barriers to trade.
• DAkkS is also committed to the internationalization of digital QI solutions in bilateral exchanges, for example within the framework of a BMWE administrative partnership with Ukraine and corresponding events and discussions. In 2025, a dialogue on digitization measures also took place with the Serbian accreditation body.
• DAkkS is also involved in the development of conformity assessment standards within the framework of European and international standardization organizations in the field of artificial intelligence.

• The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) coordinates the international development, implementation, and promotion of the Digital Units (SI) Framework as part of the digital transformation of science and quality infrastructure. The goal, much like QI-Digital, is to promote cross-QI work on digital tools, interfaces, and platforms. In addition to the CIPM, the joint declaration of intent has also been signed by OIML, ILAC, ISO, IEC, IMEKO, and others (BIPM, 2022). In it, they declare their support for the development, implementation, and promotion of the SI Digital Framework.
• As Germany's national metrology institute, the PTB represents Germany in the CIPM's Forum on Metrology and Digitalization (FORUM-MD), which was founded in 2024, chairs the forum, and coordinates the participation of IMEKO and OIML.
• Since 2021, the PTB has been coordinating the newly established "Digitalization Task Group" of the OIML, the highest body for harmonizing requirements and regulations for conformity assessment and market surveillance of measuring instruments. In close coordination with ISO and IEC, the committee develops smart OIML documents. In many regions of the world, OIML documents form the normative basis for legal metrology, making harmonization particularly important. The → D-CoC, the D-SI, and the efforts to develop → SMART standards from QI-Digital are thus being incorporated into the work of the OIML.
• Research and development in metrology are driven internationally by the International Metrology Confederation (IMEKO). The Technical Committee on Digitalization (TC6), chaired by PTB, organizes workshops and consultations with members and partners worldwide.
• The PTB has been involved in the EURAMET working group on the strategic development of digitalization in Europe since its inception and coordinates the project groups on the harmonization of digital certificates and machine-readable research data.
• Since 2018, international DCC workshops and conferences have been held to coordinate the development of digital calibration certificates internationally. As a result, the PTB's → DCC schema, for example, was chosen by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as the basis for further local development.
• There are also plans to increase the focus on European development and pilot projects, including a European data space for metrology.

Developments in data spaces and digital asset administration shells are being driven forward in internationally active organizations.

• Administration shell/AAS: In order to transfer QI tools, assets, etc. into standardized AAS submodels and thus establish them (internationally) in the market, the QI-Digital initiative is involved in the Industrial Digital Twin Association (IDTA) through the memberships of BAM and PTB.
• Digital Product Passport (DPP): At European and international level, organizations, committees, and projects are working on technical solutions for an efficient and trustworthy Digital Product Passport (DPP), in particular harmonized identifiers, data formats, and interfaces across the entire life cycle of a product. QI-Digital is involved in the DIN/DKE joint committee on the DPP, which mirrors CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 at the national level. In the EU project CIRPASS-II, the QI-Digital consortium also contributes to Task 4.2 (DPP system ontologies) and is active in working groups, e.g., on the implementation of the DPP in various sectors and on standardization liaisons to ensure interoperability and consideration of QI requirements.