NIST Global Engagement

Mechanisms and Strategic Opportunities
Session Agenda: NIST Global Engagements

• Context Setting and Examples of Current NIST Global Engagements

Willie E. May, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 

Technology and Acting NIST Director

Discussion

• Stakeholder Perspective

Joe Bhatia, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), American National 

Standards Institute (ANSI)

Discussion

• Stakeholder Perspective

Lonnie Spires, President USA Operations, Trescal

Discussion
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

• Non-regulatory 

agency within 

U.S. Department 

of Commerce 

• Founded in 1901 as 

National Bureau of 

Standards

Article I, Section 8: The Congress shall have the power to ...coin money, 

regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of 

weights and measures

Unique Mission within the Federal Government ...

to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing 

measurement science, standards, and technology

in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life 3
NIST (NBS) established in 1901

“It is therefore the unanimous opinion of your committee that 

no more essential aid could be given to 

• manufacturing

• commerce

• the makers of scientific apparatus

• the scientific work of Government

• schools, colleges, and universities 

than by the establishment of the institution

proposed in this bill.”

House Committee on Coinage, 

Weights and Measures ... on the 

establishment of the National 

Bureau of Standards (now NIST)

Organic Act of 1901; Updated in 2008 May 3, 1900

Functions and activities of the Institute include:

• custody and dissemination of national standards

o comparison of US national standards with those of other nations

• determination of physical constants and the properties of materials, 

• solutions to measurement and standards problems of other government agencies

• providing (Innovation) assistance to industry
International Engagement Helps Support and Advance:

• the Nation’s economy through research and advancement 

of measurement science

• Social and economic development through internationally 

recognized calibration and measurement capabilities

• U.S. competitiveness through internationally recognized 

documentary standards with critical input from U.S. 

stakeholders as well as those of other countries

• U.S. foreign policy objectives 

• More efficient delivery of research advances and 

measurement services through collaborations where 

appropriate
NIST Engages Internationally through:

International Metrology and 

Standardization Organizations

Agreements with Specific Countries

Activities with other Federal Govt. Agencies

Scientist and Laboratory Level Staff Interactions

Courtesy:defencenews.in Courtesy:lifemilewallpape rz.blogspot.com/ Courtesy:www.livescience.com
Willie E. May (Acting)

Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology

NIST Director

Associate Director for 

Innovation and Industry Services

Associate Director for 

Laboratory Programs 

Associate Director for Management 

Resources

NIST Senior Leadership Team

Richard Cavanagh (Acting) Phillip Singerman Mary Saunders 7
Engagement through International Metrology and 

Standardization Organizations, e.g.,

• Metrology:

• The International Committee on Weights and Measures Mutual 

Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA)

• Inter-American System of Metrology (SIM)

• Versailles Projects on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS)

• Documentary Standards and Conformity Assessment

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) & International 

Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)

• Trade and Export

• Standards in Trade (SIT) Program

• World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) 

Committee 
Metre Convention

1875

General Conference on Weights and Measures

( CGPM )

meets every four years and consists

of delegates from Member States

 International Committee for Weights and Measures

 ( CIPM )

 consists of eighteen individuals elected

 by the CGPM

 It is charged with supervision of the BIPM

 and affairs of the Metre Convention

 The CIPM meets annually at the BIPM

Diplomatic

Treaty

Associate States

and Economies

of the CGPM

Governments

of

Member States

International

organizations

Consultative Committees

( CCs )

Ten CCs each chaired by a member of CIPM;

to advise the CIPM; act on technical matters and

take important role in CIPM MRA; comprise

representatives of NMIs and other experts.

National

metrology

institutes

( NMIs )

CIPM

MRA

Bureau International des Poids et Mesures

( BIPM )

International centre for metrology

Laboratories and offices at Sèvres

with an international staff of about seventy
CIPM

 The CIPM is composed of 18 individuals, each from a different State, elected by 

the CGPM and charged with providing direction and supervision of the BIPM and its 

activities along with all metrological work that the Member States decide to execute in 

common. In their capacity as members of the CIPM they therefore act within the 

framework decided by the CGPM and not on behalf of their own Governments. Whilst 

CIPM members are elected on the basis of personal merit, it is important that 

they have some connection to the national measurement systems in their 

respective States and the support of their governments to serve in this capacity. 

 Commencing with the 25th CGPM, each Member of the CIPM will be elected to a 

4-year term or a term that spans the time between CGPMs; whichever is shorter.

 Existing members can be re-elected following the same nomination and 

selection process as new members.

11

102nd CIPM, June 2013
Current CIPM Members (2015)

CIPM bureau members:

President Dr B. Inglis (Australia) 

Secretary [Vacant]

Vice-President Dr W.E. May (United States of America) 

Vice-President Dr J.W. McLaren (Canada)

CIPM members-elect:

Bowsher, Brian United Kingdom

Brandi, Humberto Brazil

Bulygin, Fedor Russian Federation

Buzoianu, Mirella Romania

Castelazo, Ismael Mexico

Duan, Yuning China

Erard, Luc France

Inguscio, Massimo Italy

Kang, Dae-Im Rep. of Korea

Liew, Thomas Singapore

Louw, Wynand South Africa

Richard, Philippe Switzerland

Rietveld, Gert Netherlands

Ullrich, Joachim Germany

Usuda, Takashi Japan

ex officio Dr M.J.T. Milton (United Kingdom), Director of the BIPM 12
the CIPM has set up a number of Consultative Committees

to serve as advisers on scientific and technical matters. Among the tasks of these 

Committees are the detailed consideration of advances in science that directly 

influence metrology and the identification, planning and execution of key 

comparisons of national measurement standards. NIST has membership on all ten 

CC’s and provides leadership of the CCQM [WEM is CCQM President]

Consultative Committees to the CIPM

 CCAUV: Consultative Committee for Acoustics, Ultrasound and Vibration

 CCEM: Consultative Committee for Electricity and Magnetism 

 CCL: Consultative Committee for Length

 CCM: Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities

 CCPR: Consultative Committee for Photometry and Radiometry 

 CCRI: Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation

 CCT: Consultative Committee for Thermometry 

 CCTF: Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency 

 CCU: Consultative Committee for Units

 CCQM: Consultative Committee for Metrology in Chemistry and Biology
CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement 

... was established in 1999 in response to a growing need for an 

open, transparent and comprehensive scheme to give users 

reliable quantitative information on the comparability of 

national metrology services and to provide the technical basis for 

wider agreements negotiated for international trade, commerce 

and regulatory affairs.

• Originally signed in by directors of NMIs of 38 member 

states of the Metre Convention

• It formalized existing ad hoc relationships, especially in 

the international chemical measurements community

• The MRA has now been signed by the representatives 

of over 97 institutes
CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement 

Requires:

1. Declaring and documenting calibration and measurement capabilities 

(CMCs)

2. Evidence of successful participation in formal, relevant international 

comparisons

3. Demonstration of system for assuring quality of each NMI’s measurement 

services (more and more, Peer Reviews used to assess)

... was established in 1999 in response to a growing need for an 

open, transparent and comprehensive scheme to give users 

reliable quantitative information on the comparability of 

national metrology services and to provide the technical basis for 

wider agreements negotiated for international trade, commerce 

and regulatory affairs.
NIST Activities in Support of CIPM MRA 

– Documentation of our capabilities for measurement service delivery

• NIST has ~2,200 of the ~24,000 Calibration and Measurement 

Capabilities (CMCs) published in the CIPM MRA Appendix C .

– Key Comparisons 

• NIST has participated in ~390 Key Comparisons since the inception and 

has been the coordinating laboratory for over 90 of these

– Quality Systems for our Measurement Services is formally Internationallyrecognized

16
CCL-K4.a: Diameter Standards (Steel Ring Gauges)

17
CCT-K6 Comparison of Humidity Standards:

Dew and Frost Point Temperatures

18

Figure 7.1 from Draft B of Report (in progress). Difference between participant results and KCRV, at the nominal

frost-point temperature –50 °C. Error bars show the expanded uncertainties at coverage probability of 95 %.

Estimated uncertainty due to instrument drift is included. “NPL Final” values are shown but not included in

evaluation of KCRV.

These results led to an overhaul of the measurement service.
19

CIPM MRA activities enable NIST to identify “spikes” in the increasingly 

“flat world” and establish strategic collaborations for both research and 

standards development purposes.

Graphic Source: “The World is Spiky” by Richard Florida, published in The Atlantic Monthly, 

October 2005

Better services for our customers
Documented degree of equivalence 

of measurement capabilities 

(that could be used to identify 

collaborators in delivery of NIST 

measurement services)

Comparison of value-assigned 

CRMs for Creatinine in Serum

that could be used to better 

manage NIST SRM renewal 

activities)

CENAM

KRISS

LGC

NIM

NIST

PTB

DMR 263a

111 01 01A

111 01 03A

111 01 04A

111 01 02A

ERM DA252a

ERM DA251a

ERM DA250a

ERM DA253a

Creatinine 1

Creatinine 2

SRM 909b I

SRM 967a I

SRM 909b II

SRM 967a II

RELA 1/05 KS A

RELA 1/05 KS B

-10

-5

0

5

10

Relative Degeres of Equivalence, %

CCQM-K80

Leveraging NIST Participation in CIPM MRA Activities to 

better serve our customers

EU Korea UK US Germany
• Resulted from a broad agreement 

among national metrology 

organizations from all 34 member 

nations of the Organization of 

American States (OAS).

• Created to promote international, 

particularly Inter-american, and 

regional cooperation in metrology, 

SIM is committed to the 

implementation of a Global 

Measurement System within the 

Americas, in which all users can 

have confidence. 

Inter-American Metrology System (SIM)

13 SIM Technical Committees

• Electricity and Magnetism

• Photometry and Radiometry

• Thermometry

• Length

• Time and Frequency

• Ionizing Radiation and Radioactivity

• Mass & Related Quantities

• Chemistry (Amount of Substance)

• Acoustics, Ultrasound and Vibration

• Flow and Volume

• Legal Metrology Working Groups

• Quality System

• Statistics and Uncertainty

http://www.sim-metrologia.org.br/ Bold = chaired by NIST staffer
Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards 

(VAMAS)

VAMAS supports world trade in products dependent on advanced 

materials technologies, through International collaborative 

projects aimed at providing the technical basis for harmonized 

measurements, testing, specifications, and standards.

• Representatives from NMIs and Materials Institutes Worldwide

• Umbrella for fostering and organizing pre-normative research: 

International Inter-Laboratory Comparisons

• Expertise and Advice for Communities of Practice

• Formal agreements with Standards Development Organizations, 

such as ISO. Recognized by CCQM/BIPM

• Extensive track record of standing up standards from PNR
NIST and VAMAS

http://www.vamas.org/

• Acting Associate Director of Laboratory Programs Richard Cavanagh 

Served as the VAMAS Chair from 2012-2014.

• NIST has a voting position on the VAMAS Steering Committee

• NIST is helping to co-organize a VAMAS-CIPM workshop in 2015 to 

map out areas of cooperation on materials standards

• NIST staff lead VAMAS technical working areas in Nanoparticle 

Populations, Scanning Probe Microscopy, and Thermoelectric 

Materials, and will lead one in Adsorption Materials

• In addition, NIST staff contribute to TWAs in Organic Electronics and 

Database Interoperability 
Engagement through International Metrology and Standardization 

Organizations: Documentary Standards and Conformity Assessment, e.g.,

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) & International 

Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC)

NIST involvement:

 NIST researchers lend their expertise to 1,000 + standardsrelated activities 

 100 + technical committees

 Approx. 400 staff

 Leadership in ANSI, ASTM Intl., IEEE, ISO, IEC, etc.

 Helps facilitate provision of input by private sector as well 

as other government agencies

 800 + laboratories accredited by NVLAP

Ryan McVay/Getty Images
Engagement through International Metrology and 

Standardization Organizations: Trade and Export

• Standards in Trade (SIT) Program

• The SIT workshop program provides opportunities for cooperation and information 

exchange on important topics related to standards and conformity assessment and 

provides for input from U.S. industry

• most recent workshop held in September, 2014 brought together key U.S. and Indian 

government officials and industry representatives from the ICT sector together for a 4 

day workshop focusing on cybersecurity, cloud computing, trusted identity, and 

national identities.

• World Trade Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) 

Committee: USA Inquiry Point and Notification Authority

• NIST hosts the USA Inquiry Point and Notification Authority for the WTO Agreement on 

Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). 

• The Inquiry Point fulfills a critical trade role by:

• distributing all member WTO TBT notifications of proposed foreign technical 

regulations to thousands of U.S. industry, government, and trade stakeholders via 

its web-based e-mail registration service.

• Processing comments from U.S. stakeholders on other WTO member 

notifications 
Collaborations with Other Federal Agencies

• International Measurements and standards related engagements are 

often an element of broader programs led by other U.S. agencies

• Lead agencies look to NIST to provide specific expertise needed, but not 

resident, in other agencies

– Recognition of the important role of metrology, standards and related R&D

• These collaborations support many strategic and emerging foreign policy 

objectives

• Examples:

– Commercial Dialogs and Standards dialogs led by International Trade Administration (Brazil, 

India, Israel, etc.) with emphasis on information exchange about standards for specific sectors 

or technologies 

– Joint Commission Meetings (JCMs) in Science and Technology Cooperation led by Office of 

Science and Technology Policy and the State Dept. include participation by NIST where NIST 

labs have significant engagements and/or expertise and interest

– Provide standards, measurement or scientific input to Office of the United States Trade 

Representative on addressing specific trade concerns due to potential regulatory action by 

foreign trading partners
Scientist and Laboratory Engagement

• Bottom-up driver for international engagement

• Emphasis on building strong technical ties with foreign experts in 

areas of mutual interest

• Enables NIST collaborations with leading experts from around the 

world

• In many instances, provides access to unique expertise not 

otherwise available in the U.S.

• Promotes long-term and sustained research collaborations

• Examples:

– Foreign Guest Researcher Program – approx. 800 technical experts from over 70 

countries per year at NIST for periods from a few weeks to multiple years

– International Visitor Program – Visits that highlight NIST work to foreign visitors 

– over 3000 visitors from 70 countries annually.
Often, several types of engagements are used for an issue in a specific 

sector/technology – Example of synergistic benefits

Nanotechnology

Develop 

measurement 

techniques

Present at 

international 

conferences

Prestandardization 

acvities

Intl. 

documentary 

standards 

development

Discussions in 

bilateral fora

Collaborations between NIST technical OUs 

and international scientists – results in 

measurement methodologies

Scientist to scientist: Technical 

papers presented at 

international conferences 

highlight NIST work to 

international audiences, provides 

NIST feedback about 

international developments

NIST scientists participate in VAMAS

to validate measurement techniques Validated measurement techniques

Form the basis for international 

documentary standards in ASTM, 

ISO and IEC

Other Agencies: Discussions in OSTP/State led JCM

or bilateral meetings with the EC enable 

discussions about standards based

measurement techniques as basis 

for technological cooperation or 

trade related regulations
• What aspects should NIST consider when deciding 

whether to engage in discretionary international 

activities?

• Are there key or emerging issues that call for new 

and/or enhanced international engagement by NIST?

Issues to Explore
Session Agenda: NIST Global Engagements

• Context Setting and Examples of Current NIST Global Engagements

Willie E. May, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards 

and Technology and Acting NIST Director

Discussion

• Stakeholder Perspective

Joe Bhatia, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), American 

National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Discussion

• Stakeholder Perspective

Lonnie Spires, President USA Operations, Trescal

Discussion