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EURAMET Research Potential projects

Research Potential Projects are a special kind of EURAMET Capacity Building project, and they aim to support participating organisations to develop basic levels of metrological research expertise in particular measurement research areas considered to be of national and regional priority. The projects include some research and development activities, and an important element is the collaboration of at least two National Measurement Institutes (NMIs) that are less experienced in a relevant field with NMIs that have greater experience in the field.

These projects allow a level of research cooperation and knowledge transfer not previously achieved under other types of EURAMET projects.

By developing research and measurement service capabilities in a coordinated way across Europe, far greater benefits are seen than those possible for countries working alone.

Two sets of Capacity Building projects started in 2014 and 2015 respectively, involving NMIs from 24 different countries along with 15 Designated Institutes and 9 other organisations covering academia, governments and industry.

Within participating organisations 93 new measurement capabilities were initiated, 67 measurements were improved or extended, 14 new or novel standards were constructed and 23 new or improved calibration capabilities have been developed to date.

These new capabilities in terms of instrumentation, calibration and measurements covered 9 different fields. The capabilities and the projects that developed them are:

• National Metrology Institutes from 12 countries collaborated in developing research capabilities in AC quantum voltage metrology. EMPIR project Towards the propagation of ac quantum voltage standards (14RPT01, ACQ-PRO).
• 11 organisations worked to develop draft calibration guides and calibration procedures for three types of automatic weighing instruments. EMPIR project Traceable calibration of automatic weighing instruments operating in the dynamic mode (14RPT02, AWICal).
• 10 measurement institutes from around Europe worked to develop measurement capabilities and reference materials for environmental analysis. EMPIR project Matrix reference materials for environmental analysis (14RPT03, ENVCRM).
• 10 measurement organisations worked together to improve primary national radiation standards for calibrating dosimeters to help deliver better diagnosis and treatment in radiotherapy. EMPIR project Absorbed dose in water and air (14RPT04, Absorb).
• 11 European countries collaborated to ensure that for each emerging NMI and DI obtained new or upgraded capabilities for thermal measurements suitable to support regional industry development and economic competitiveness. EMPIR project Developing traceable capabilities in thermal metrology (14RPT05, Eura-Thermal).
• Institutes from 10 different countries, combined their skills to focus on microwave and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) measurements, vital for the improved quality and safety of electronic devices. EMPIR project Development of RF and microwave metrology capability (15RPT01, RFMicrowave).
• 6 organisations from across Europe developed measurements to support legislation regarding the environmental impact of man-made noise on marine life. EMPIR project Underwater acoustic calibration standards for frequencies below 1 kHz (15RPT02, UNAC-LOW).
• Organisations and institutes from 10 different countries worked together to expand European research capabilities in humidity measurement, affecting everyday processes from indoor ventilation to the storage of food products and pharmaceuticals. EMPIR project Expansion of European research capabilities in humidity measurement (15RPT03, HUMEA).
• 10 measurement institutes collaborated to develop a new, open system for sampled power and power quality measurements which will pave the way for the increased adoption of renewable energy across Europe. EMPIR project Traceability routes for electrical power quality measurements (15RPT04, TracePQM).

Tanasko Tasic, EURAMET’s Capacity Building Officer said ‘EMPIR capacity building instruments significantly support not only the development of participant’s research capacities based on stakeholders’ needs (from performing a small research component to acting as a Joint Research Project coordinator) but in addition their networking, which is paving paths for future collaborative activities’.

EMPIR projects are co-funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the EMPIR Participating States.

EMRP joint research projects are part of EURAMET’s European Metrology Research Programme. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the European Union.

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