Abstract:
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METROLOGY KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN THE EUROPEAN METROLOGY RESEARCH PROGRAMME GLENIS TELLETT and ANDY HENSON National Physical Laboratory Hampton Road, Teddington, Middlesex, UK, TW11 0LW LESLIE R. PENDRILL AND HÅKAN KÄLLGREN SP Measurement Technology Box 857, SE-50115 Borås, Sweden Submitted to NCSLi 2006 Workshop & Symposium, August 6 - 10 2006 Measurement knowledge transfer is a key factor in metrology's impact on modern society since better measurement is an essential component in promoting innovation, growth and welfare. KT is considered an essential element in a European Metrology Research Programme since new measurement knowledge, created in research, needs to be transferred to be useful. Recognising the importance of metrology knowledge transfer (KT) activities, a European task group lead by SP is part of a new EU ERA-NET project iMERA - Implementing a Metrology Research Area http://www.euromet.org/projects/imera/, and is advising on KT aspects relevant to the project. KT is a two-way information exchange between national metrology institutes (NMIs) and metrology stakeholders (universities, practitioners, industry, regulators). A wide variety of knowledge transfer mechanisms have evolved to different degrees in participating countries such as direct research collaboration with industry, collaborations with regulatory agencies, universities etc, "metrology clubs" - interest groups around specific topics, best practice guides, scientific publications and participation in documentary standards activities. A recent European survey conducted in iMERA of the various national approaches to transferring the knowledge generated by metrological R&D activities give some indication of the expectations and experiences of metrology KT of European stakeholders, for instance, which are the best ways of learning about measurement and which measurement subject is most interesting. This presentation will give an analysis of some of the survey results, exemplified for one of the participating countries, namely Sweden, where a broad range of stakeholders have responded and where various programmes of metrology KT have been in place a number of years. For the future, the aim is to improve the effectiveness of metrology KT as a means of improving knowledge level of metrology in the European Union and elsewhere. Metrology KT covers a wide range of measurement needs/subjects as well a broad spectrum of KT mechanisms. This calls for a coordinated action of metrology KT in Europe.
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