Laboratory network for testing, characterisation and conformity assessment of electronic products developed by SMEs

October 2017 -
September 2020

Uncompleted

1. Innovation 1.1 R&I infrastructures

TEST-4-SME

No electronic product can be successfully placed in global markets if it does not conform with international standards. This typically requires extensive testing of product prototypes. In the project, eight universities from the Baltic Sea region set up an innovation support network to provide testing and consultation for small and medium sized enterprises in the electronics sector during early product development.

Summary

TEST-4-SME initiates an innovation support network in the Baltic Sea region to provide testing and consultation for electronics SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) during early product development. Tests and consultations focus on how to demonstrate conformity with international standards. All electronic products need to prove conformity to standards, which requires testing of product prototypes. Early stage testing can help avoid failures in later stages and can thus save costs.

The network members advise and train enterprises’ staff in conforming to standards and share knowledge across the network to improve the quality and efficiency of testing in order to speed up the process of product development for electronics enterprises.

In the scope of the project, seven enterprises test the network's services. The project compiles a list of electronics testing labs, creates governing rules for the network and analyses demand for existing testing services in the region. The network is open to other electronic testing labs. Some investments into testing equipment are planned. Laboratory staff is to be trained. Testing services are evaluated and the long-term sustainability strategy planned.

Highlights by mid-term:

The project has mapped the testing services in laboratories in Estonia, Finland, Germany Latvia and Lithuania. The database of available services helps laboratory staff to guide small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) interested in testing electronic components to the most suitable lab, either within the TEST-4-SME network or beyond.

The first lab staff training in Vilnius for the project partners brought together administrative staff and laboratory specialists in order to share best practices in testing and service provision, thus to increase their overall performance.

The project also holds training sessions for SMEs that could become customers of the networks’ testing labs. So far, 70 SMEs from Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Latvia have cooperated with the research institutions. They used laboratory services, received individual consultations, training or visited the TEST-4-SME network laboratories.

The partnership conducted two investments to bridge the technological gaps in the electronics testing services in the Baltic Sea region. The project purchased an electrostatic discharge required for testing any kind of electronic product, planned to be installed in the lab in Estonia, and a reference solar cell allowing for quantitative measurement of output power of modules, planned to be installed in the lab in Estonia.