Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements
Encyclopedia
Geel
Geel is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp which acquired the status of a city in the 1980s.It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns : Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), a Directorate-General
Directorate-General
A Directorate-General is a branch of an administration dedicated to a specific field of expertise.* The European Commission: Commission Directorates-General are each headed by a European Commissioner;* The European Patent Office: EPO Directorates-General;...
of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
(EC).
The IRMM promotes a common and reliable Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an measurement system in support of European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
policies. The institute works on the production and dissemination of quality assurance tools, such as validated methods, reference materials, reference measurements, interlaboratory comparisons and training in best practices and experience in all areas where IRMM is working.
The institute was founded in 1957 under the Treaties of Rome
Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, was an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany...
and started operation in 1960 under the name of the Central Bureau for Nuclear Measurements (CBNM). In 1986 the programme for a Community Bureau of Reference was announced. In 1993 the institute was renamed to reflect the new mission of the institute, which covers a wide range of measurement problems from food safety to environmental pollution.
The IRMM has six core areas of competence:
- Reference materials
- Food analysis
- Bioanalysis
- Chemical reference measurements
- Radionuclide metrology
- Neutron physics
Other JRC sites
- Institute for Transuranium ElementsInstitute for Transuranium ElementsThe Institute for Transuranium Elements is a European Commission nuclear research institute in Karlsruhe, Germany. The ITU is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre , a Directorate-General of the European Commission . The ITU has about 300 staff...
(ITU) - Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (IPSC)
- Institute for Environment and SustainabilityInstitute for Environment and SustainabilityThe Institute for Environment and Sustainability is a specialised institute of the Joint Research Centre directorate of the European Commission, based at Ispra, Italy...
(IES) - Institute for Health and Consumer ProtectionInstitute for Health and Consumer ProtectionThe Institute for Health and Consumer Protection or IHCP, located in Ispra, Italy, is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre , a Directorate-General of the European Commission ....
(IHCP) - Institute for EnergyInstitute for EnergyThe Institute for Energy or IE, located in Petten, the Netherlands, is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre , a Directorate-General of the European Commission ....
(IE) - Institute for Prospective Technological StudiesInstitute for Prospective Technological StudiesThe Institute for Prospective Technological Studies or IPTS, located in Seville, Spain, is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Centre , a Directorate-General of the European Commission .- Fields of expertise :...
(IPTS)
See also
- Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
- Directorate-General for Research (European Commission)Directorate-General for Research (European Commission)The Directorate-General for Research or DG Research, located in Brussels, is a Directorate-General of the European Commission.- Mission :The Directorate General’s mission is evolving as work on the European Research Area continues...
- European Committee for StandardizationEuropean Committee for StandardizationThe European Committee for Standardization or Comité Européen de Normalisation , is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens and the environment by providing an efficient infrastructure to interested parties for...
- European Reference MaterialsEuropean Reference MaterialsEuropean Reference Materials or ERM are certified reference materials of high quality and reliability produced by members of the European Reference Materials consortium in the European Union ....
- International Bureau of Weights and MeasuresInternational Bureau of Weights and MeasuresThe International Bureau of Weights and Measures , is an international standards organisation, one of three such organisations established to maintain the International System of Units under the terms of the Metre Convention...
- Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory MedicineJoint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory MedicineThe Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine or JCTLM is collaboration between the International Committee for Weights and Measures , the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine , and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation .The goal of...
- National Institute of Standards and TechnologyNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyThe National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
(USA) - Good Laboratory PracticeGood Laboratory PracticeIn the experimental research arena, the phrase good laboratory practice or GLP specifically refers to a quality system of management controls for research laboratories and organizations to try to ensure the uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and integrity of chemical ...
(GLP) - Reference values
- European School, MolEuropean School, MolThe European School of Mol is third of the European Schools. It is in Mol, a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The school was established in 1960 for children of the Central Bureau for Nuclear Measurements , Euratom, Eurochemic, and the SCK•CEN personnel...