The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) last week signed a contract with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to facilitate the second phase of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency's (USTDA) U.S.-India Standards and Conformance Cooperation Program (SCCP). The second phase builds on the Institute's record of success with improving access for U.S. companies to the Indian market by boosting cooperation on standards and conformance issues.
CII and ANSI signed the contract during a U.S.-India Commercial Dialogue roundtable hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Phase two is set to include six workshops in India for U.S. and Indian industry and government representatives to discuss standards and conformity assessment practices in three core sectors of U.S.-India trade: clean energy, smart and sustainable cities, and water and sanitation. ANSI will facilitate the workshop meetings.
This phase builds off the first SCCP initiative, also supported by USTDA funding and carried out in coordination with CII. From 2009-2012, ANSI facilitated multi-faceted activities, which included the expansion of the StandardsPortal and a series of workshops [see related articles below], sponsored and co-organized by U.S. private-sector organizations. The events included targeted technical exchanges between small groups of industry stakeholders and opportunities to present results of discussion to high-level officials within regulatory and other government agencies.
"Our agreement signifies how far we've come to bolster collaboration and stronger trade relations between U.S. and India," said Joseph Tretler, ANSI's vice president of international policy. "We are honored and enthusiastic to facilitate the second phase of the SCCP in order to arm U.S. and Indian stakeholders with the standards and conformity assessment insights that are essential for these three key areas of industry."
"We are proud to support this next phase of SCCP which will bring together technical experts, policy makers, and companies to discuss shared challenges and find solutions," said USTDA's Acting Director Thomas R. Hardy.
U.S. companies interested in participating in the workshops can contact ANSI at [email protected].
See related news here:
- ANSI, Confederation of Indian Industry Sign MOU to Boost Indo-U.S. Standards Cooperation (09.23.15)
- ANSI Launches U.S. Standards Directory in India to Promote Bilateral Trade (02.25.11)
- ANSI Convenes Fifth U.S.-India Standards and Conformance Workshop (11.19.10)
- ANSI Convenes Fourth U.S.-India Workshop on Biometrics (08.10.10)
- ANSI Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Confederation of Indian Industry during SCCP Events in New Delhi (02.25.10)