EURAMET’s iMERA and iMERA-plus were the first projects that provided the European metrology community with a means to plan and understand the potential for joint research. These projects were instrumental in defining the common research areas across European metrology institutes and piloting the first joint research call.

The European Metrology Research Programme (EMPR) followed iMERA and iMERA-plus to continue strenghting Europe's metrology research. Over the lifetime of the EMRP, 5 calls for themed projects were published; starting with the first Energy Call in 2009 and ending in 2013 with the final Energy & Environment Calls. The last few projects were completed in 2017, and since then the project work, funding, and administrative tasks have been rounded-off – with the programme now fully complete. 

To take over from the EMRP, EURAMET launched the European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research (EMPIR) in 2014 with an emphasis on innovation and capacity building. The EMRP and EMPIR have co-existed for 3 years, both following EURAMET’s wider objectives to enhance the capabilities and impact of joint research initiatives.

EMPIR work is ongoing, with the final projects under that programme set to end in 2024.

In 2021, the European Partnership on Metrology was funded as part of the European Commisson's Horizon Europe Partnership programmes, and is planned to run until 2027.

The Metrology Partnership is co-funded by the Member States and the European Union and has an expected budget of approximately 690 million Euros. New call scopes including Digital Transformation and Green Deal have been added to adequately support the new metrological challenges Europe faces.

Adding value for Europe through European Metrology Research Programmes
Metrology, the science of measurement, is both a national and international endeavour that supports society and the economy. The international system of metrology ensures that primary measurement standards and the measurements they support are comparable and accepted across the world.  In some countries the requirement to hold national measurement standards, are enshrined in law.

The need for research to ensure measurements are fit for the future is increasing. At the same time, meeting requirements for new measurement standards in emerging areas of technology places additional demands on national metrology research budgets.

EURAMET's European Metrology Research Programmes are fostering international collaboration, driving research excellence, and addressing society's grand challenges in areas such as health, the environment, and energy, contributing to Europe's economic turnover.

Some of the highlights from the past research progeamme include:

• over 200 published case studies that demonstrate the economic and social impact generated from EURAMET funded research projects
• 79 mobility grants supported the transfer of staff between institutions to facilitate learning and the development of personal and institutional networks 
• More than 1.69 billion Euro of funding was provided for joint research programmes since 2009 
• Supporting the formation of European Metrology Networks to further increase European collaboration on specific research topics