CMI, in close coordination with UNMZ, fulfils tasks resulting from the Membership of the Czech Rep. in the EU and in the European metrology organizations (EURAMET e.V., WELMEC) and from international inter-governmental treaties and arrangements (Metric Convention, CIPM MRA, OIML). In the narrower region of middle Europe CMI takes part in activities of an association of national metrology institutes of countries having been once part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire called DUNAMET.
International cooperation has always played a key role in the development of CMI – in time of its foundation in 1993 CMI started nearly from scratch so that any other source of technical knowledge in a number of fields, especially in fundamental metrology, than international cooperation was not available.
Strategic goals to be achieved by Czech metrology in international cooperation in the long term are as follows:
- to get fully involved in the international subdivision of work in metrology and to take part in projects aimed at management of metrology and R/D In metrology;
- to be active in projects of technical aid in metrology financed both from national funds as an OECD member (Czech Development Agency) and from European ones (EuropeAid etc.);
- to get involved in preparation of harmonized metrological regulations;
- to submit and promote own concepts of developments in metrology both in regional and world-wide frameworks;
- to systematically gather new information for technical development of the institute in individual fields of measurement and to improve qualification and expertise of the staff (short-term stays and internships);
- to raise the standard of metrological traceability in the Czech Rep. by regular participation in various types of international comparisons of physical standards;
- to extend the CMI metrological services to other EU member countries by exploiting the benefits of the EU Single Market (harmonized legislation, non-tariff zone).
More detailed information:
fundamental metrology:
- Metric Convention – BIPM
- EURAMET e.V.
legal metrology:
- OIML
- WELMEC
cross-sectional:
- DUNAMET
Among the most important partner institutes belong:
SMÚ Slovenský metrologický ústav Slovakia www.smu.gov.sk
MKEH Hungarian Office for Trade Licences Hungary www.mkeh.gov.hu
BEV Bundesamt für Eich- und Rakousko www.metrologie.at
Vermessungswesen
GUM Główny Urząd Miar Poland www.gum.gov.pl
PTB Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt FRG www.ptb.de
NPL National Physical Laboratory UK www.npl.co.uk
VSL Van Swinden Laboratory the Netherlands www.vsl.nl
NIST National Institute for Standards and USA www.nist.gov
Technology
IRMM Institute for Reference Materials and EU www.irmm.jrc.be
Measurement
Comments:
SMÚ: when the Czechoslovak Federation was split in 1993 the property of then Czechoslovak Metrology Institute Bratislava was divided based on principle of the current location so that CMI obtained only a fraction of this property.
PTB: the predecessor called Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt founded by industrialist Mr. Siemens and physicist Mr. Helmholtz in 1887 was the pfirst national metrology institute in the world. It is the greatest metrology institute in Europe which extended to CMI an invaluable technical assistance in the difficult initial years.
NPL: at the beginning of the World War II sir R.Watson-Watt invented here the radar which subsequently played a crucial role in the air Battle of Britain. Mr. Alan Turing was instrumental in development of the first computer in the world used in the code-breaking centre in Bletchley Park.
NIST: the greatest national metrology institute in the world with laboratories in Gaithersburg and Boulder, several Nobel Prize winners in physics working here.