EUROMET

iMERA

The objective of iMERA is to increase impact from national investment in European metrology R&D. For more information, see 'About iMERA' below.

Key Public Documents

• iMERA Document of Work v3.4 [368kB]
• Presentation at NCSLI 2005 [1.8MB]
• EUROMET iMERA leaflet [476kB]

Partners-only section

• iMERA Community website (username and password required)
• Project partners documents (password protected section)

Project Coordinator

Further information is available from Andy Henson (NPL, UK)

About iMERA

Following on from the successful MERA project, the proposal for a follow on project "implementing Metrology in the European Research Area" (iMERA) has been successfully evaluated by the European Commission and negotiations are under way with the aim of starting the new project in Spring 2005.

iMERA will enable the national Governments from participating countries to significantly increase the national and European impact of their investment in R&D in metrology. This investment underpins expenditure of more than €83 billion per year, or nearly 1% of EU GDP, on measurement activity from directly quantifiable sources alone, generating almost €230 billion of directly estimable benefits.

iMERA proposes a step-by-step approach. Exchange of information between the national programmes will enable best practice to be identified and adopted - increasing the impact from the national programmes. Building on this a substantial increase in project level collaboration is foreseen. Strategic activities will lead to the launching of joint research projects, with defined work plans, resources, responsibilities and time scales - funded by the existing national programmes. Access to special metrological facilities available in just a single or few countries will be opened and the viability of joint investments in new facilities explored.

The final aim of the project is very ambitious - a joint metrology R&D programme. Scope, stakeholder needs, national funding contributions, legal issues, obstacles for national participation and appropriate organisational structures will all be addressed. This phase culminates in the preparation of a European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP) with the prospect of launching the initiative in a joint action between the European Commission and interested countries utilising Article 169 of European Treaty. Care will be taken to ensure the changes are sustainable beyond the time of any financial support of the Commission.