New research led by Aston Business School says the UK must strengthen its role in shaping the global standards that underpin technologies such as AI, semiconductors, 5G, 6G and internet infrastructure if it is to convert scientific strength into industrial leadership.
The report, Harnessing Global Standards for Technological Leadership: A Comparative Study of the UK and Other Leading Nations, was led by Professor Cher Li of Aston Business School, in collaboration with Dr Xin Deng at Alliance Manchester Business School and Dr John Moffat at Durham University Business School.
The study was published by the Innovation and Research Caucus and was supported by a grant from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It examines how the UK is positioned in the international technology standards system compared with the United States and China. Global standards influence how technologies are developed, adopted and traded around the world, shaping market access, interoperability, intellectual property strategies and future industrial competitiveness.
The report identifies five priorities for strengthening the UK’s position: protecting and deepening UK participation in 5G and 6G standards bodies; addressing weaknesses in hardware and semiconductor-related standards; supporting innovative SMEs and scale-ups to participate in standards development; investing in emerging standards domains such as AI, clean energy and health data; and building a stronger longitudinal evidence base on standards, innovation, productivity and exports.
The report provides one of the first comprehensive empirical assessments of the UK’s global standard-setting footprint. Its authors used a newly constructed longitudinal dataset covering business participation in 19 international standards development organisations over nearly three decades.
The researchers find that the United States continues to dominate in absolute participation, China is expanding rapidly and strategically in hardware- and connectivity-related standards bodies, and the UK has a credible but more specialised position of strength in services- and market-oriented domains.
The report, which was released on 15 June, also provides evidence that UK firms involved in standards development are more innovative and commercially active. Participation in standards development is associated with a 14% increase in employment and a 34% increase in patent families - a group of related patents tied to one original filing - among participating UK firms.
Professor Li, who is a professor of Economics at Aston Business School said: “Standards are often invisible to the public, but they are central to how technologies scale, compete and create economic value. If the UK wants to lead in areas such as AI, semiconductors, clean energy and advanced connectivity, it must treat standards as part of its innovation and industrial strategy, not simply as a technical or regulatory issue.”
She added: “The UK has distinctive strengths, particularly in services- and market-oriented standards domains, but international competition is intensifying. A more coordinated approach could help UK businesses influence the rules of future markets and capture greater value from innovation.”
The project was co-designed with key stakeholders in the UK research and innovation ecosystem and funded by the Innovation and Research Caucus, a UKRI-funded think tank supporting evidence-informed innovation and research policy.
The findings are expected to be relevant to policymakers, standards bodies, industry leaders, innovators and businesses seeking to understand how standards influence international competitiveness and future technology markets.
Li, Q.C., Deng, X. and Moffat, J. (2026) Harnessing Global Standards for Technological Leadership: A Comparative Study of the UK and Other Leading Nations. Oxford, UK: Innovation and Research Caucus https://innovation-research-caucus-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/production/uploads/2026/06/IRC-Report-Harnessing-Global-Standards-for-Technological-Leadership-FINAL-June-2026.pdf