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Nov 04, 2025
ASTM International and CECIMO —the European Association of Manufacturing Technologies, on behalf of AM Europe—have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at ASTM’s International Conference for Advanced Manufacturing (ICAM) to deepen transatlantic cooperation in additive manufacturing (AM) standards, certification, and workforce development.
The agreement marks a major step in connecting U.S. and European leadership in AM. It builds on AM Europe, CECIMO’s pan-European initiative launched in 2025 to unify the continent’s AM community under a common platform. Backed by 10 national associations encompassing more than 700 enterprises, AM Europe, operated by CECIMO, seeks to represent Europe’s collective AM voice while advancing industrial adoption and competitiveness. Through this partnership, ASTM and AM Europe will align efforts across continents to accelerate innovation, reduce duplication, and strengthen trust in qualified AM production worldwide.
“This collaboration reflects our shared belief that additive manufacturing, like many critical and emerging technologies, is a global movement,” said Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., ASTM’s vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “By combining the expertise and resources of ASTM and AM Europe, operated CECIMO, we can drive interoperability, increase efficiency, and speed the adoption of additive manufacturing globally.”
Under the MoU the two organizations will collaborate to:
“CECIMO has long recognized the credibility and global value of ASTM International,” said Filip Geerts, director general of CECIMO. “With AM Europe, our mission is to connect the entire value chain—from design to end use—and this partnership with ASTM allows us to do so on a truly global scale. Together, we are advancing innovation while ensuring that quality, safety, and trust remain at the heart of advanced manufacturing.”
The new partnership builds on years of collaboration between the two organizations and their shared commitment to industry advancement through consensus standards, certification frameworks, and evidence-based education. It also reinforces their joint focus on bridging the gap between technical development and industrial implementation across sectors such as aerospace, medical, energy, and defense.
The MoU represents the latest in a series of strategic global alliances driven by ASTM’s advanced manufacturing division, aimed at accelerating the transition toward qualified, standards-based production worldwide.
In September, Elvin Chia, ASTM International’s director of outreach in Asia, participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on Marketing Compliance Mechanism for Self-Declaration of Standard Compliance on Textiles and Textile Products. The workshop was hosted by Badan Standardisasi Nasional (BSN) in Indonesia.
Chia spoke about ASTM’s textiles committee (D13), which has more than 300 standards and 500 members who participate from more than 30 countries. ASTM’s textile standards are used globally by regulators, manufacturers, research institutions, and laboratories.
ASTM also offers textile proficiency-testing programs and training courses that support the implementation of the standards.
Today, the Advancing Standardization for Critical and Emerging Technologies (ASCET) Center of Excellence (CoE) released its inaugural workshop report, capturing key insights, themes, and next steps from its first convening, held May 14–15 in Bethesda, MD. The event marked the first official workshop of the ASCET CoE, after its launch in January 2025.
The ASCET CoE is a cooperative agreement between ASTM International and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to accelerate U.S. engagement and leadership in international standardization for critical and emerging technologies (CETs).
The workshop brought together nearly 200 stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and standards development organizations (SDOs) to identify key priorities and opportunities for impactful CET standardization.
Captured in the report are insights, themes, presentations, and next steps that emerged from robust discussions during the two-day workshop. The comprehensive report includes a foreword, executive summary, background on the ASCET CoE, summaries of each speaker and presentation, and more.
“The discussions captured in this report reflect a shared recognition that the challenge is urgent, the stakes are high, and the opportunity is unprecedented,” notes Mohsen Seifi, Ph.D., principal investigator, ASCET CoE, and ASTM’s vice president of global advanced manufacturing programs. “Establishing U.S. leadership in CET standardization will require bold action.”
The full workshop report is available at www.ascet.com, where stakeholders can also explore opportunities to engage with ASCET’s upcoming initiatives.
Looking ahead, ASCET CoE will prioritize engagement in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, semiconductors and microelectronics, and biotechnology. These initiatives will provide playbooks, case studies, and tools that can accelerate international standardization, and expand U.S. influence in shaping global standards.
To deliver on its mission, ASCET CoE has assembled a core team, including a center director, program manager, industry engagement manager, and workforce development specialist, to drive execution across key objectives.
James Olshefsky, ASTM International’s head of global outreach, visited Kigali, Rwanda, in October. While there, Olshefsky met with memorandum of understanding (MoU) partner organizations and other collaborators.
ASTM is celebrating milestone partnership anniversaries with many of these organizations. These include:
In addition to celebrating longstanding alliances, Olshefsky presided over the launching of a new MoU between ASTM and Agence Congolaise de Normalisation et de la Qualité (ACONOQ), the standards organization of the Republic of Congo. Jean-Jacques Ngoko-Mouyabi, director general of ACONOQ, joined Olshefsky in signing the MoU.
ASTM began its MoU program in 2001. The MoU with ACONOQ is ASTM’s 128th such partnership.
While in Rwanda, Olshefsky and Maria Jiverage, ASTM’s manager, global cooperation and training, met with Stephen Ruzibiza, CEO of the Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF). PSF represents and advocates for its members while serving as a key link between the public and private sectors. ASTM and PSF plan to hold awareness sessions for PSA staff and explore future opportunities for capacity building. ●
November / December 2025
