Home Certification ISO 56001
INNOVATION
ISO 56001 certification
An innovation management system connects strategic direction with opportunities, experimentation, evaluation and learning. Describe the innovation activities and responsibilities you want assessed, including how decisions are made about continuing, changing or stopping initiatives.
AT A GLANCE
STANDARD REFERENCE
ISO 56001:2024
Innovation Management System
ASSESSMENT SUBJECT
Your management system
Certification applies to the agreed organizational scope.
Your application identifies the edition, activities and sites to be assessed.
UNDERSTAND THE STANDARD
What is ISO 56001 certification?
ISO 56001 addresses innovation management systems. It concerns how an organization manages innovation-related activities through a system of responsibilities, processes and evaluation. Certification does not guarantee a successful invention, a profitable product or intellectual property rights.
Clarify what innovation means within the organization’s chosen scope. New services, changed processes and new products can involve different pathways from an opportunity to a decision. A practical discussion considers how ideas are evaluated, what evidence informs decisions and how the organization learns from results.
START WITH THE BOUNDARY
Make the scope clear.
Describe the organizational units, types of activity, partnerships and decision boundaries included. Explain whether the system covers one innovation function or activities distributed across the business. Avoid presenting certification of the system as approval of an individual product or research claim.
FROM INTENT TO EVIDENCE
Show how your system works.
These are examples of relevant information, not a universal list of mandatory documents. The evidence depends on your activities and applicable requirements.
01
Innovation objectives and the responsibilities associated with them.
02
Processes for identifying and evaluating opportunities.
03
Information supporting portfolio and initiative decisions.
04
Evaluation and learning that feed into future activity.
A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Put the scope into context.
An organization running several pilot projects may need to explain how it decides which to continue, change or stop. Counting the number of ideas submitted does not, by itself, explain that decision process. The example illustrates a management question rather than a promised route to commercial success.
Use this example to prepare your own scope and evidence.
HOW CERTIFICATION WORKS
A clear route from enquiry to decision.
01
Scope & application
Describe the activities, sites and standard you want assessed.
02
Assessment planning
Agree arrangements based on the application and programme.
03
Audit & response
Demonstrate the system and address findings with evidence.
04
Decision & review
Certification follows a decision, with continuing assessment as applicable.
An application or completed audit does not guarantee certification.
EDITION & APPLICATION
Confirm the right basis for assessment.
The planning reference is ISO 56001:2024. Applicable amendments, transition arrangements and the edition for your application must be confirmed before assessment is agreed.
Check the official ISO publication information. Use the official publication record to check the edition and related amendments.
CONNECTED MANAGEMENT NEEDS
Considering several standards?
Shared processes can support a coordinated system. Explain the common boundaries and the differences.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ISO 56001: frequently asked questions
Clear answers before you take the next step.
Does every innovation project have to succeed?
Certification should not be represented as a promise that every initiative will work. The focus is the management system and its conformity to applicable requirements within the defined scope.
Can innovation management cover services as well as products?
Describe the innovation activities included in your organization’s scope, whether they involve services, processes or products. The system should reflect how those activities are managed.
Is a high number of ideas proof of an effective innovation system?
An idea count alone does not explain how opportunities are evaluated, resources are allocated or lessons influence decisions. Relevant evidence connects activity with management decisions.
Can ISO 56001 be assessed with other standards?
Other systems may share responsibilities or processes with ISO 56001, but each retains its own requirements. Explain the intended standards, sites and boundaries when discussing an integrated assessment.
What affects the cost and timing of ISO 56001 certification?
The scope, activities, personnel, locations and applicable programme determine the proposed assessment work. Readiness and responses to findings also affect timing. Request a quotation based on your actual organization.
START WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION
Discuss ISO 56001 with EQRM.
Tell us your activities, locations and ISO 56001 requirements. We’ll review availability and the scope of the proposed engagement.