For a research project, cost for participating in standards activity, primarily originates from person/months and travel expenses that have to be allocated to the process. Additional cost can however occur at different points:
First, in order to participate in standardization activity, membership of the targeted standards organization, either as a project or as a project partner is generally required, and becoming a (temporary) member may involve cost. Consequently, mapping your consortium partner's membership of standards organizations with the standardization processes it anticipates particpating in, is recommended at an early point in time in order to allocate budget if necessary.
Second, there can be cost involved in starting up new standardization processes, in case there is no ongoing activity (e.g. a Working Group), inside the targeted organization, that proves suitabe for your projects goals. This may involve direct cost or indirect cost.
Third, cost may result from specific characteristics, procedures or rules defined by the organization you aim to interface with. It is therefore advisable to check for any of these specific characteristics, procedures or rules as it may require additional provisions in your projects work plan or budget.
Standards processes are conducted in different ways, and their cost may vary, for example as a consequence of the amount of resources that have to be allocated to the process by the respective organization. When planning your standardization activities, it is advisable to take these cost into account.
Initiating standardization processes generally requires more (human) resources that participating in standardization activity that is already ongoing. In certain situations however, the rules of the targeted organization may require the initiator of a process to assume specific tasks in the process (e.g. building a quantified constituency, producing specific technical deliverables or chairing a process) that may involve a substantial amount of additional person/months. In case you expect your project will have to initiate a new standardization process it is therefore advisable to check the specific rules and procedures for this with the targeted organization.