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EURAMET welcomes Mikko Merimaa as its new General Secretary who started his position in summer 2021.

“We are delighted to have such an experienced measurement scientist working with our organisation”, comments Jörn Stenger, EURAMET’s Chairperson. “The General Secretary plays an important role and is responsible for the Secretariat and developing and implementing policies and strategies in close collaboration with EURAMET’s bodies and officials. Mikko can build on the excellent work of his predecessor Duncan Jarvis and will support EURAMET in meeting its goals and objectives. I would like to convey a warm welcome to Mikko on behalf of the EURAMET community.”

About Mikko Merimaa

Mikko Merimaa entered the world of metrology as a student at the Helsinki University of Technology, writing his MSc and PhD theses on length and frequency standards. After completing his dissertation in 2001, Mikko worked at the Metrology Research Institute of the Helsinki University of Technology and, at the same time, joined the length group at MIKES (the Finish Centre for Metrology and Accreditation).

Over the years, Mikko has held various positions at MIKES, gaining valuable experience in managing international metrology research. Among his many achievements, Mikko established a research group on ‘time, frequency, and spectroscopy’. He also helped to guide MIKES’ research engagement towards new topics. In later years, as the Vice President of MIKES, he led the National Metrology Institute as a whole, with a focus on fostering international collaboration in metrology.

After the successful integration of MIKES into VTT (the Technical Research Centre of Finland), he moved on to become VTT’s Vice President of Research in 2017, shaping and implementing the organisation’s research strategy. Before joining EURAMET, Mikko held the position of Vice President of Connectivity, leading VTT’s 5G connectivity and cybersecurity research.

Thanks to all of his work with several branches of metrology, Mikko is very well known at EURAMET and across the international measurement science community. He has additionally been active in international efforts to promote collaboration in research, including the Quantum Community Network of the European Quantum Flagship, EIT-Digital Helsinki Node, and the board of the Heterogenous Technology Alliance.

You joined EURAMET in mid-August; how have the first weeks been as General Secretary?

For the first few weeks, I have worked together with Duncan Jarvis - my predecessor. I greatly appreciate his openness in introducing me to my new position as the next General Secretary.

I’ve seen first-hand how Duncan has carefully considered every action as General Secretary, and I hope to follow his example. I am also grateful for the very warm welcome from the Secretariat, the Board of Directors and EURAMET’s Chairpersons. I greatly appreciate their support in helping me to become familiar with this role and its requirements.

What are your priorities for the next months?

The top priority for our members is to ensure that the proposed European Partnership on Metrology is started on time and as planned. As well as this, it is crucial that we deliver on our commitment to establish collaborative routes with other European Partnerships – something we hope to achieve through close work with our European Metrology Networks and Technical Committees.

What are you looking forward to the most about working within the EURAMET community?

Working with the great people across EURAMET for the benefit of the European metrology community – of course! A concrete action towards this is the implementation of the EURAMET 2030 strategy that our General Assembly accepted in June this year. At the core of our new strategy are the new European Metrology Networks. I look forward to contributing towards the completion of the landscape of networks and their individual strategies. It is vital for our long-term objectives that our EMNs and TCs support the goals and strategies of our members, and address the needs of our stakeholders.

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