Tuesday 10 November 2026 | 15:00 GMT / 16:00 CET / 10:00 EST
Invention Standards play a central role in the development of many technologies. They help establish common technical approaches, enable interoperability and create a framework for new products and services.
But standards do not appear fully formed.
They develop over time, shaped by technical challenges, emerging use cases, contributions from industry and decisions about which approaches should be adopted.
This raises an important question for companies operating in standards-driven markets: Are you simply responding to standards as they emerge, or are you identifying the opportunities early enough to invent ahead of them?
When does an emerging standard become an invention opportunity?
For R&D and IP teams, understanding where a standard is heading can be as important as understanding where it is today. Emerging technical requirements can point towards new use cases, unresolved technical problems and areas where existing approaches may not be sufficient. But identifying these opportunities early is difficult. Where should companies look? Which technical developments are likely to matter? And when is the right time to begin developing inventions around them?
Can AI help companies look further ahead?
AI-assisted invention introduces another possibility. Rather than relying only on existing knowledge and established technical directions, AI-assisted approaches can help teams systematically explore emerging use cases, technical challenges and potential invention opportunities. The question is not simply whether AI can generate inventions. It is whether AI can help companies identify where they should be inventing in the first place.
From following standards to inventing ahead of them
Moving from a reactive approach to a more anticipatory one requires standards, IP and invention teams to consider the same landscape from different perspectives. Where are standards heading? What technical problems are emerging? Which opportunities could become commercially important? And which inventions could help address them? These are the questions we will explore in our upcoming webinar.
Inventing Ahead of the Standard: How Companies Can Anticipate Emerging Standards and Create the Inventions That Shape Them
The panel will bring together Prof. Howard Benn, CEO, Benn Consulting Ltd who previously held senior roles at Samsung Electronics, as Head of Standards and Industrial Affairs and VP of Communication Research at Samsung R&D Institute UK, and Dr Harry Cronin, Head of Standards, Iprova. The discussion will be moderated by Joff Wild, Former Editor-in-Chief, IAM.
Register for the webinar
If you are not able to join live, you can still register to receive the recording.