Proposal for a

“BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019”

July 2014

2 Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019"

This proposal has been prepared for discussion at the 25th CGPM.

Comments are invited from Representatives and NMI Directors from Member States

and Associate States and Economies of the CGPM, which should be sent to the

BIPM Director, Dr Martin Milton at martin.milton@bipm.org and copied to

andy.henson@bipm.org.

Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019" 3

Proposal for a “BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019”

Introduction and aims of the programme

This proposal has been developed as part of the BIPM’s mission to “ensure and

promote the global comparability of measurements”. It addresses the need to strengthen

the world-wide metrology infrastructure by building the necessary human and

institutional components in those Member States that do not have a well-developed

metrology infrastructure. It proposes work to be carried out by the BIPM in

collaboration with the RMOs with the following aims:

– To strengthen the capacity of the international metrology community to operate

the world-wide measurement system on an equitable cost-shared basis, and

– To support Member States in developing the metrology infrastructure needed to

underpin their national efforts towards the 2015 Millennium Development

Goals1 and the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Goals

2.

The proposal was triggered by Resolution 5 of the 24th meeting of the CGPM which

invited the CIPM to bring forward proposals by which “intergovernmental

organizations, in particular those from regions without well-developed metrology

infrastructure, can be involved in the work of the BIPM”.

This proposal is additional to the well-established practice of engaging visiting

scientists as part of the BIPM laboratory programme. The opportunities proposed here

are aimed at staff from NMIs in states with emerging metrology systems and will

contribute to strengthening the expertise available at such NMIs and in the RMOs.

Objectives of the programme and proposed activities

The objectives of the proposed programme are:

– To increase the number of NMIs capable of contributing strongly to the global

metrology community, and in particular being able to contribute to the work of

their RMOs.

– To increase awareness of the benefits of a well-developed global metrology

infrastructure among international organizations that are concerned with

developing global trade and quality infrastructure.

– To support Member States that are developing the human and institutional

components of their metrology systems to support the Millennium Development

Goals and Sustainable Development Goals through the organization of a

comparison of specific interest to the developing world (selected in consultation

with the RMOs).

1 www.un.org/milleniumgoals/

2 http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.html

4 Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019"

The programme will address these objectives through three types of activity:

– Establishing new opportunities for visiting staff to work at the BIPM from

Member States that are currently developing their metrology infrastructure.

– Promoting the need for states to develop their metrology infrastructure through

the training and “awareness building activities” of the Network on Metrology,

Accreditation and Standardization for Developing Countries (DCMAS)3.

– Organization of a comparison of specific relevance to the Millennium

Development Goals (for example, a comparison relevant to basic healthcare or

monitoring the environment).

The opportunities proposed here are for visiting staff from Member States with

emerging measurement systems and are in addition to the visiting opportunities

proposed in the BIPM Work Programme 2016-2019 which are open to all Member

States.

Impact of the Proposed Programme

The impact of the proposed programme will be apparent in several different ways:

– NMIs that are developing their metrology infrastructure will benefit from

sending staff to the BIPM on secondment. When such visitors return to their

NMIs they will take with them the benefits of exposure to the operation of the

world-wide metrology system experienced during their time at the BIPM.

– The RMOs will participate in the process of identifying the highest priority

candidates to take part in the programme and will benefit from the stronger

contribution that those individuals will be able to make to the RMO’s activities.

– The world-wide metrology infrastructure will benefit from access to an enlarged

pool of scientific and technical staff leading to the work being shared on a more

equitable cost-shared basis world-wide.

A further impact of the proposed programme is that Membership of the

Metre Convention will have a more tangible benefit to those Associate States that have

been formally encouraged to join.

Rationale for the BIPM Visitor Programme

Whilst the technical and coordination work of the BIPM is focused at the international

level, its mission envisages a level of comparability of measurements that can only be

achieved if all Member States invest in the necessary human and institutional capacity.

Indeed, the benefits derived by any particular state from investing in measurement

capability are greatly increased as other states develop their own capabilities to similar

levels. This enables the minimization of duplicate measurement between trading

parties. It also ensures that all states can contribute to supporting the global

measurement system and hence that its costs are shared equitably.

3 DCMAS is a collaboration between BIPM, ILAC, ISO, OIML, UNECE, UNIDO, and four other international

organizations.

Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019" 5

Additionally, the BIPM is able to help address the needs of States whose national

capability is developing, through its role in coordinating activities to improve the global

measurement system and also in promoting the importance of metrology to science,

industry and society. This Visitor Programme puts forward specific proposals to

increase the impact of the BIPM’s activities in this area.

The Development of the Membership of the Metre Convention

Since the signing of the Metre Convention by 17 States in 1875, it has grown to a

membership of 56 States in 2014. Approximately 25 % of the current Member States

acceded to the Metre Convention since its centenary year in 1975. Many Member States

that have acceded since then are not able to take full advantage of the scientific and

technical opportunities of BIPM membership because their metrology systems have not

reached a level of development where they meet the technical and organizational

criteria for full engagement with the Consultative Committees of the CIPM. Such

Member States have “emerging metrology systems” and are generally undergoing rapid

developments in their human and institutional capacity.

Development of membership of the Metre Convention since 1875

In 1999, the 21st CGPM created the new category of “Associate State or Economy of

the CGPM” of which there are 39 in 2014. As a result of the decision by the

24th CGPM (2011) to double the minimum level of subscriptions, the income to the

BIPM from subscriptions is equivalent to more than 4 % of the dotation paid by

Member States4. Among these Associate States, there are currently 15 that satisfy

defined criteria and have now been formally encouraged to accede to the Metre

Convention. They are considered to be “Prospective Member States”. As a result of a

Resolution of the 24th CGPM (2011), their subscriptions are increasing (or will start to

increase from a defined date)5 to a level where they will be 90 % of their notional

contribution as a Member State. The number of such states is expected to increase

further during 2014.6 The decision as to when to become a Member State is generally

influenced by the benefits of membership that a state will be able to access in the short

4 In 2013, the subscriptions received from Associates States and Economies were 530 k euros and the contributions

received from Member States were 11 744 k euros. 5 Belarus, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, FYR Macedonia, Jamaica, Lithuania, Latvia, Panama, Republic of Albania,

Republic of Moldova, Republic of the Philippines, Slovenia, Ukraine and Viet Nam. 6 Estonia, Georgia, Peru and Paraguay will meet the criteria before the 25th meeting of the CGPM.

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6 Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019"

term. Additional benefits accrued on accession such as access to a properly funded

BIPM Visitor Programme can only help in the discussions held internally within states

prior to accession.

Growth in the number of Associates of the CGPM

The Work of the Regional Metrology Organizations and the BIPM in Demonstrating the Global Equivalence of Measurements

At present, the majority of the coordination work needed to coordinate the world-wide

comparability of measurements is carried out by the RMOs and the BIPM. In this

respect, the RMOs depend on a relatively small number of their NMIs to take the

leading roles, particularly those relating to the CIPM MRA. In order to share the costs

of these activities more equitably among the NMIs there is a need to increase the

number of NMIs with the necessary institutional and human capacity.

The BIPM Visitor Programme will address this requirement by providing individuals

from NMIs in Member States that do not have a well-developed metrology

infrastructure with exposure to the technical and coordination work of the BIPM. In

order to ensure that the proposed programme has the greatest impact at the regional

level, it is proposed that the RMOs will be involved in the identification of the most

suitable candidates.

In the same way that the proposed programme will address the need to share the costs

of regional and world-wide coordination work equitably, it will also address the same

trend in the technical work required to coordinate key comparisons at the global level.

At present these responsibilities are taken by the BIPM and a small number of the

larger NMIs that have the necessary resources and expertise. A specific objective of this

programme is to seek a long-term re-balancing of this commitment. The opportunities

for Visiting Scientists to work at the BIPM supported by this programme will build the

capacity in Member States with emerging metrology systems to take a role in

coordinating key comparisons at the global level in the future.

Increased metrology capacity among Member States with emerging metrology systems

will improve the quality and safety of goods and products traded by these countries.

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Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019" 7

It will also improve the world-wide response to grand challenges that rely on global

data.

National Infrastructure to address sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals

The development agenda among International Organizations and their member states is

currently centered on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were officially

established following a United Nations summit in 2000. The MDGs encapsulate

eight globally-agreed goals, of which the actions in the areas of access to food and

water, environmental sustainability, and reducing communicable diseases, are the most

dependent on access to a robust quality and measurement infrastructure at a national

level. As the target date of 2015 for the MDGs is approaching, a debate on the

framework of international development beyond 2015 has started. In this context,

192 UN member states agreed to start a process of designing sustainable development

goals (SDGs) at the Rio+20 summit. It is apparent from the preliminary consultation

phase that the SDGs will address and include targets related to topics such as

technologies for sustainable development, health, climate change and the environment.

Successful progress towards these goals and the wider sustainable development agenda

can only be built on infrastructure developed at the national level that can underpin

activities and monitor their results. Important parts of this infrastructure are the

technical and administrative functions that enable a comparable basis for

measurements. These provide a transparent and cost-effective foundation to ensure the

quality of food, water, pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics. For example, by

providing,

reference materials and methods to ensure measurements are adequate to control

mycotoxin contamination in both food crops and feed and ensure safety for both

internal and export markets;

certified reference materials to ensure the quality and efficiency of diagnostics

for diseases such as tuberculosis.

Proposed activities

It is proposed that the programme will run for four years, and be integrated into the

BIPM Work Programme 2016-2019. Activities are proposed in three areas:

VP-A1 - “Visiting” opportunities for scientists from Member States with “emerging

metrology systems” to work at the BIPM.

An aim of this programme is to strengthen the capacity of the international metrology

community by offering opportunities for visiting scientists to work at the BIPM. To

achieve the objectives of the programme, applications to take part in the programme

will be prioritized in favour of visiting scientists from states with emerging

measurement systems. It is proposed that the RMOs will be involved in establishing the

criteria used for this prioritization and identifying potential candidates.

8 Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019"

It should be recognized that the visiting opportunities proposed as part of this

programme are separate from those proposed in the BIPM Work Programme

2016-2019. The opportunities in the latter are principally aimed at visitors who will be

able to make a strong contribution to the work carried out at the BIPM for its Member

States. The opportunities proposed here are aimed at visitors who will benefit from

technology transfer in the BIPM laboratories and from exposure to specific training

from BIPM staff relating to the world-wide measurement system.

It is proposed that the duration of the visiting opportunities proposed here will typically

be 2 to 3 months. The laboratory work will largely involve the mass and time

laboratories of the BIPM, together with involvement in the comparison described in

VP-A3 below which is likely to be focused within the BIPM chemistry laboratories.

The programme will be operated in liaison with those NMIs that organise dedicated

training programmes aimed at developing metrology capacity in other states.

VP-A2 - Promotion of the Visitor Programme and outreach to Member States with

emerging measurement systems.

Both aims of the programme will be addressed by a range of promotional and outreach

activities. These will include: workshop(s) and a Summer School focused on the needs

of Member States with emerging measurement systems. These will be based on new

support material of specific relevance to states with emerging metrology systems.

Additionally, the BIPM will participate more actively in delivering the metrology

component of the training programme on Quality Infrastructure organized by the

revitalized DCMAS Network.

VP-A3 - Organization of a comparison of specific relevance to the Millennium

Development Goals (for example, a comparison relevant to basic healthcare).

The second aim of this programme is to support Member States in developing the

metrology infrastructure needed to underpin their national efforts towards the 2015

Millennium Development Goals and the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Goals. It is

proposed that this will be met by carrying out a comparison of relevance to the

metrology systems needed to underpin basic healthcare. The comparison will be of

specific interest to the developing world and will be selected in consultation with the

RMOs.

Proposal for a "BIPM Visitor Programme 2016-2019" 9

Outline tasks and estimated costs

Task / Activities Resources

Number of person months

Operating costs

(in k euros)

VP-A1 - “Visiting” opportunities for scientists from Member States with “emerging metrology systems” to work at the BIPM.

Promotion of opportunities in the Visitor Programme and liaison with the RMOs and NMIs with global metrology training programmes.

26 900

Selection of priority candidates (against criteria established in consultation with the RMOs).

Identification of opportunities within the BIPM WP of greatest benefit to participants in the Visitor Programme. Development of a plan of activities for each participant.

Support for approximately 240 person-months of participation of typically 2 to 3 months for each visitor.

Coordination of travel and accommodation

Supervision of time spent at the BIPM

Review of benefits for participants

VP-A2 - Promotion of the Visitor Programme and outreach to Member States with emerging measurement systems.

Workshop(s) and a Summer School focused on the needs of MS with emerging measurement systems.

Preparation of new support material of specific relevance to states with emerging metrology systems.

Greater participation in delivering the metrology component of the training programme on Quality Infrastructure organized by the revitalized DCMAS Network.

Improved input to Conformity Assessment materials produced and distributed by other organizations (eg ISO and ILAC).

Resources focused on MS with emerging measurement systems for World Metrology Day through the BIPM and MetrologyInfo websites. 16 300

VP-A3 - Organization of a comparison of specific relevance to the Millennium Development Goals (for example, a comparison relevant to basic healthcare or the environment).

Development of plans for comparison activity in consultation with the RMOs.

6 500

Method development and piloting of a comparison (led by a fixed-term scientist for 3 years (at 300 k euro) with 200 k euro laboratory costs

Review of benefits for participants, Member States and the BIPM.

Total (over a 4-year programme)

48 person

months 1700