Metrosert is hosting the annual meeting of EURAMET’s Technical Committee for Mass and Related Quantities in Tallinn until September 10. Sixty of Europe’s leading measurement experts have arrived in Estonia, with more than 65 participants following the discussions online. The meeting aims to set development priorities for the field, agree on international comparison measurements, and map out the next steps for scientific cooperation.
The EURAMET Technical Committee covers measurements of mass, pressure, force, torque, density, viscosity, hardness, and gravity. According to Mari Aru, Head of R&D at Metrosert, precise measurement of these quantities underpins the safety of industrial equipment and energy infrastructure, correct pharmaceutical compositions, food quality, fair accounting for fuel and commercial goods, and the development of new high-tech solutions.
“Metrology is all around us, though we mostly notice it only when a measurement goes wrong. From a societal standpoint, the objective is simple: to ensure technology around us operates safely, the amount of active ingredient in medicine is correct, manufacturing processes run stably, and fuel and other goods are billed fairly. Behind all of this lie reliable and internationally comparable measurements,” said Mari Aru.
National metrology institutes maintain and develop their country’s highest-precision measurement capabilities. In Estonia, this role is fulfilled by Metrosert. Local measurement capabilities help Estonian companies ensure product quality, verify it in export markets, and reduce reliance on foreign laboratories for critical measurements.
To ensure that measurements performed and calibration certificates issued in Estonia are recognized abroad, European metrology institutes regularly compare their measurement standards, capabilities, and methods. International comparison measurements demonstrate whether laboratories in different countries achieve consistent results when measuring the same quantity.
At the Tallinn annual meeting, measurement roadmaps defining development priorities for the coming years will be reviewed and approved. Participants will also plan new comparison measurements and research projects, while addressing measurement digitalization and dynamic measurements (quantities that change rapidly over time).
“The directions agreed upon in Tallinn will shape which measurement capabilities are developed in Europe in the coming years and how new methods move from laboratories into commercial use. For Estonia, hosting this meeting represents both a recognition of Metrosert’s expertise and an opportunity to participate in shaping the future of European measurement science,” Mari Aru added.
The Technical Committee for Mass and Related Quantities is one of EURAMET’s largest: it comprises six subcommittees, two working groups, and nearly 30 ongoing collaborative projects. Tallinn will host dedicated sessions on mass, pressure, force and torque, density and viscosity, hardness, and gravimetry. Participants will also tour Metrosert’s national measurement standard laboratories.
EURAMET is the European Association of National Metrology Institutes, responsible for coordinating cooperation in measurement science and ensuring the international reliability and recognition of European measurement results. Technical committee annual meetings take place once a year in a EURAMET member state.
Metrosert is Estonia’s applied research center and national metrology institution. Metrosert maintains and develops Estonia’s national standards for length, mass, temperature, and electrical quantities, ensuring their traceability to the International System of Units.