Metrological research is linked throughout Europe

[ptb] Joint press release issued by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)

Taking measurements with high accuracy and reliability is of great importance in both top research and every day life, such as when measuring the consumption of gas, water and electricity. Exact measurements create trust. For the science of metrology, the starting shot for a joint research programme of the National Metrology Institutes has sounded. The European Commission is initially supporting 21 joint research projects, each running for between three and four years. It is expected that the European Council and the European Parliament will make a decision about a further €200 million for a European Metrology Research Programme this year. This means that co-operation between the European Metrology Institutes has reached a new dimension. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) - Germany's national metrology institute which comes under the auspices of the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie (Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology) - campaigned considerably for strengthening European co-operation. Now it is involved in a total of 20 of the 21 research projects and has taken on the role of project co-ordinator in seven of them.

The European Commission has taken on around one third of the total costs which amount to 64 million euro for all the research projects together. The other funds are being met by the national research partners from a total of 20 European states. The projects which have now started reflect the wide spectrum of research with metrological significance. The basic principles of the International System of Units are on the agenda, in which several base units (for example for the kilogram and the ampere) will be redefined. At the same time other research projects have very concrete applications in view, regarding, for instance, radiation therapy for cancer or metrology at the cellular level in molecular medicine. All in all, the projects can be categorised into four main sectors: "The International System of Units and fundamental constants", "Health", "Dimensional metrology" as well as "Electricity and magnetism".

Co-operation within research in Europe is by no means restricted to these 21 projects. To be more precise, they only form the vanguard of the generously supported European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP). The volume of research estimated with the EMRP amounts to around 400 million euro and would be financed by up to 50 % with EU means - if successful.

This type of joint European research in the field of metrology cannot be organised in a loose grouping of partners, but rather needs a professionally working organisational structure. For this reason the European Metrology Institutes have moved closer together and founded the association EURAMET e.V. at the beginning of last year. Prof. Dr. Michael Kühne was elected as chairman; he is also a Member of the Presidential Board of the PTB. The permanent secretariat of EURAMET has been established at the PTB in Braunschweig.

You can find more information at http://www.euramet.org

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Michael Kühne
Member of the Presidential Board
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig
Phone: +49 531 / 592 3001
E-mail: michael.kuehne@ptb.de

PTB Press and Information Office
Dr. Dr. Jens Simon
Head of Press Office
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)
Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig
Phone: +49 531 / 592-3005
E-mail: jens.simon@ptb.de