REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Interim Evaluation of the European Metrology Research Programme - EMRP
Date: 2012-04-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, co-financing, metrology, research and development, research programme

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 16.4.2012  
COM(2012) 174 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Interim Evaluation of the European Metrology Research Programme - EMRP  

 
 
  
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Interim Evaluation of the European Metrology Research Programme - EMRP  

1. 

CONTEXT AND OVERVIEW OF THE EMRP 

By  Decision  of  16  September  2009  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  the  EU 
agreed  to  participate  in  a  joint  research  programme  called  Eureopean  Metrology  Research 
Programme  –  EMRP1,  with  a  contribution  of  up  to  €200  million  for  the  period  2009-2017, 
equivalent to the contributions of the 22 Participating States2. The above mentioned Decision 
(hereinafter the “EMRP Decision”) is based on Article 185 TFEU (previous Article 169 EC 
Treaty) which, in implementing the Multiannual Framework Programme, makes it possible to 
coordinate national research programmes, through a voluntary integration process between the 
Participating  States,  covering  scientific,  management  and  financial  integration.  The  joint 
implementation of the national research programmes requires the establishment or existence 
of  a  dedicated  implementation  structure.  The  participating  States  had  agreed  to  propose 
EURAMET  e.V.3  as  dedicated  implementation  structure  to  implement  the  EMRP.  The 
dedicated implementation structure should be the recipient of the Union financial contribution 
and should ensure the efficient execution of the EMRP. 

The  core  activity  of  the  EMRP  consist  of  funding  multi-partner  trans-national  projects 
addressing research, technological development, training and dissemination activities (EMRP 
projects).  In  view  of  the  concentrated  capacities  in  metrology,  the  core  part  of  the  EMRP 
projects shall be executed by National Metrology Institutes and Designated Institutes (namely, 
specialist institutes responsible for certain national standards and associated services that are 
not  covered  by  the  activities  of  the  National  Metrology  Institutes)  from  the  participating 
States.  In  order  to  increase  and  diversify  capacities  in  metrology,  the  EMRP  also  funds 
several researcher grant schemes which complement the EMRP projects. 

In  the  EMRP  Decision  the  Parliament  and  the  Council  recalled  that  metrology  is  a  cross-
disciplinary scientific field which is a vital component of a modern knowledge-based society. 
Reliable  and  comparable  measurement  standards,  and  appropriate  validated  measuring  and 
test  methods  underpin  the  processes  of  scientific  advancement  and  technological  innovation 
and thus have a significant impact on the economy and quality of life within Europe. 

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DECISION No 912/2009/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 
September  2009  on  the  participation  by  the  Community  in  a  European  metrology  research  and 
development programme undertaken by several Member States (OJ L257, 30.09.2009, p.12). 
Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, 
Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well 
as Norway, Switzerland and Turkey 
Non-profit making association under German law 

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In its Communication on the Innovation Union Flagship Initiative4, adopted in the context of 
the  EU's  growth  strategy  “Europe  2020”5,  the  Commission  underlined  the  importance  of 
smart,  sustainable  and  inclusive  growth  for  our  citizens  with  targets  and  actions  at  EU  and 
national levels. Central to the EU's strategy are all efforts to turn the European Union into an 
Innovation Union.  

The  concept  of  partnering  in  European  research  and  innovation  to  pool  forces,  achieve 
breakthroughs  and  tackle  societal  challenges  was  put  forward  recently  in  a  Communication 
from  the  Commission6  to  Council  and  European  Parliament.  Council  recognised  in  its 
conclusions7, that partnering can facilitate the optimal use of resources and hence develop full 
use of Europe’s intellectual capital and contribute to the integration of ERA as well as reduce 
unnecessary  duplication.  Partnering  brings  together  European  and  national  players  to  build 
critical mass, joint visions and strategic agendas, making use of flexibility, scale and scope. In 
the same manner the EMRP has established a strong partnership betweeen the 22 Participating 
States starting in 2009. 

The  EMRP  Decision  requires  an  interim  evaluation  of  the  EMRP  carried  out  by  the 
Commission  with  the  help  of  independent  experts  three  years  after  the  start  of  the  EMRP. 
This  evaluation  shall  cover  progress  towards  the  objectives  as  well  as  recommendations 
concerning  the  EMRP  on  the  most  appropriate  ways  to  further  enhance  integration  and  the 
quality and efficiency of the implementation, including scientific, management and financial 
integration  and  whether  the  level  of  the  financial  contributions  of  the  participating  States  is 
appropriate, given the potential demand from their various national research communities.  

The  Commission  shall  communicate  to  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  the 
conclusions thereof, accompanied by its own observations. 

An expert panel supported the Commission in this evaluation with its findings and issued the 
interim  evaluation  report  (hereinafter  the  "Report")  which  provides  an  in-depth  analysis  of 
EMRP concerning the progress towards the initial objectives as well as recommendations on 
the most appropriate ways to further enhance integration and the quality and efficiency of this 
initiative. 

The present Report provides the Commission views on the main recommendations expressed 
by the experts in the Report8. 

2. 

INTERIM  EVALUATION  OF  THE  INDEPENDENT  EXPERT  GROUP:  COMMISSION’S 
OBSERVATIONS 

The  Group’s  Report  covered  all  relevant  aspects  as  requested  by  the  EMRP  Decision  and 
provided  an  important  number  of  facts,  comments  and  recommendations.  The  Commission 
considers  the  whole  Report  as  being  an  integral  part  of  the  Interim  evaluation  process.  The 

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Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions  of  6.10.2010,  “Europe  2020 
Flagship Initiative Innovation Union” COM(2010)546 final  
Communication from the Commission of 3.3.2010, “Europe 2020” A strategy for smart, sustainable and 
inclusive growth' (COM(2010) 2020 final 
COM(2011) 572 final Partnering in Research and Innovation 
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION Brussels, 8 December 2011 18349/11 RECH 
http://ec.europa.eu/research/evaluations/index_en.cfm 

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Commission will therefore highlight, in the following sub-paragraphs of this chapter, the most 
relevant findings/recommendations concerning the EMRP and express its view respectively.  

2.1 Quality and efficiency of the implementation 
In delegating the implementation of EMRP to a Designated Implementation Structure (DIS) 
the  Commission  has  followed  the  provision  of  Article  185  TFEU  and  the  rules  applying  to 
indirect  centralised  management  in  accordance  with  the  Financial  Regulation.  EURAMET 
e.V. has been the selected DIS and its governance structure has proved to be efficient and of 
high  quality  for  the  implementation  of  the  EMRP.  Considering  not  only  the  operational 
strength of EMRP but also its scientific content the Panel noticed that increased visibility of 
EMRP  beyond  the  metrology  community  would  be  beneficial  for  the  wider  stakeholder 
community and society in general. 
The  Commission  welcomes  the  strong  engagement  and  professional  management  of 
EURAMET e.V. and the EMRP Committee in the implemantion of the EMRP in its first three 
years since 2009 and encourages all relevant instance in relation to the EMRP implementation 
to continuously improve the quality of implementation and the visibility of the programme. 
The Commission endorses the Panel recommendation to establish a key performance indicator 
(KPI) for time-to-contract and set targets for improvement in order to start all projects as soon 
as possible after their selection.  
2.2 Financial contributions from the Participating States 

(1) 

The EMRP Decision made the Union contribution depend on the formal commitment 
by each participating State to contribute its share of financing for the EMRP and the 
effective  payment  of  the  financial  contribution  to  beneficiaries.  The  total  national 
commitment of all 22 Participating States was fixed to at least EUR 200 million and 
included  10%  in  cash  mainly  to  cover  all  running  costs  (up  to  16  million  €)  of  the 
management  of  EMRP  and  for  the  remainder  contributing  to  the  grant  schemes.  In 
addition  EURAMET  provided  evidence  of  adequate  financial  guarantees  by  the 
participating States to the Commission, in accordance with Article 8 of the Decision. 
The amounts guaranteed by the participating States are calculated according to a pre-
established  fixed  allocation  key  per  Participating  State.  The  guarantees  have  been 
constituted by means of guarantee or liability declarations by the participating States 
or by their national metrology institutes towards the Commission. 

(2) 

To date all financial contributions from the Participating States have been honoured in 
full  respect  of  the  procedures  set  out  for  the  implementation  of  the  EMRP.  The 
national contributions to selected projects have been made in full respect of all agreed 
procedures. 

The Commission recognises that the Participating States hounoured their initial commitments 
as layed down in the EMRP Decision and agrees with the Panel that EMRP has achieve a high 
level of financial integration with its financing model. 
2.3 Integration of national metrology research programmes 
The  EMRP  initiative  aims  at  aligning  and  integrating  relevant  national  metrology  research 
activities  to  establish  a  joint  research  programme  featuring  scientific,  management  and 
financial integration. 

The level of scientific integration can be considered as a major achievement of the EMRP but 
also  as  a  major  benefit  for  the  national  metrology  programmes  involved.  The  ‘Grand 
Challenge’ approach has fostered widely inter-disciplinary cooperation between the national 
metrology  research  programmes.  Even  so  third  parties  are  to  some  extent  involved  in  the 
EMRP  projects,  their  involvement  and  influence  on  the  programming  seems  sometimes 
limited  and  could  be  increased  in  areas  of  strong  multi-disciplinary  nature.  Whilst  it  seems 

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appropriate that the main focus of the EMRP should be on the development and strengthening 
of competences and capabilities of the national metrology or specialised dedicated institutes, 
the  Panel  believes  that  third  party  experts  can  add  value  to  this  specialised  community.  In 
addition  the  involvement  of  the  wider  research  community  could  be  strengthened  further  in 
certain areas which go beyond the typical metrology research aspects. 

In  agreeing  jointly  on  potential  research  topics  for  each  call  for  proposals  and  deciding  on 
which topics will be selected for further consideration, the EMRP Committee is the instance 
which takes a joint strategic view of the priorities for metrology research across Europe. The 
Panel  highlighted  that  the  EMRP  research  topics  have  been  well  chosen,  that  the  EMRP  is 
globally recognized and can avoid very costly duplications. An estimated 50% of the national 
investment is now coordinated within the scope and topics of the EMRP and thus it is clear 
that considerable scientific integration of core national funding is being realised.  

However,  the  difference  in  committed  resources  to  the  EMRP  between  the  large  and  small 
contributors  is  considerable  as  it  was  agreed  in  the  Decision.  Consequently  the  scientific 
competence and the existing research infrastructures are largely divergent which makes a full 
scientific integration between all 22 Participating States sometimes difficult. A major barrier 
for  the  small  and  developing  national  metrology  institutes  is  their  limited  capability  to 
participate with expert staff in EMRP projects and their limited financial resources. The Panel 
is  of  the  opinion  that  this  creates  a  strong  risk  that  the  existing  gap  in  competence  and 
capabilities between the well established, big metrology institutes and the developing, small 
metrology institutes will become bigger instead of smaller.  

The  Commission  shares  the  Panel's  view  that  the  capacity  gap  between  the  Participating 
Countries  seems  to  increase  in  some  cases  and  agrees  with  the  Panel  opinion  that  the 
Researcher Grant System could be used more effectively to increase further the possibilities 
for countries with limited metrology research capacities. The Commission fully endorses the 
Panel  recommendation  to  explore  the  degree  of  flexibility  that  could  be  applied  to  the 
management of the mobility grants to overcome the relocation barrier. 

The management integration has been achieved within EURAMET e.V., which has proved to 
be a professional organisation that is working well. Where needed, improvements have been 
and are still being made so the EMRP can be considered as effective in its implementation. 
The current management structure is regarded as both efficient and integrated.  

Nevertheless,  the  Panel  noticed  a  need  to  explore  ways  of  reducing  and  simplifying 
unnecessary  bureaucratic  procedures.  The  administrative  burden  for  coordinators  and 
participants in projects is considered high and the execution of projects may be delayed by the 
difficulties  related  to  the  grant  contracts.  The  Researcher  Grant  model  contract  has  been 
improved in 2011 and covers as of 2012 only essential aspects of the grant. In spite of these 
improvements, the Panel reported that the opinion persists that the Researcher Grant system is 
not working properly and should be reconsidered. 

Another  concern  expressed  by  several  EMRP  Committee  members  and  by  the  Panel  is  the 
necessity to have sufficient and competent project coordinators, who start the projects as soon 
as possible after the selection decision. The Panel concluded that there seems to be a general 
lack  of  professional  competence  in  the  management  of  complex  international  research 
projects. 

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The  Commission  agrees  therefore  with  the  Panel  to  harmonise  further  the  management 
procedures  and  encourages  EURAMET  e.V.  to  provide  European  research  project 
management training for project coordinators and potential project partners. 
The financial integration of the EMRP is at a high level and the Panel concluded that further 
financial  integration  would  be  difficult  to  achieve  due  to  the  block  funding  nature  of  the 
national institutes which correspond to the national commitments of the Participating States. 
The  EMRP  uses  a  "virtual  common  pot"  system  combined  with  an  appropriate  reserve 
funding  mechanism  which  allows  financing  projects  equal  to  a  "real  common  pot"  system. 
The EMRP governance and its high financial integration make sure that available funding per 
call  always  matches  the  need  from  the  proposers'  side.  In  this  way  the  order  of  the  ranking 
lists  of  the  central  and  independent  evaluations  has  been  for  all  three  calls  fully  respected 
without any exception. 
2.4 Progress towards the objectives 
To analyse the progress towards the objectives of the EMRP, the Panel returned to the ex-ante 
impact assessment9 that outlined the general policy objectives, the specific objectives and the 
operational objectives of the EMRP. 
With  regard  to  the  general  policy  objectives  the  Panel  concludes  that  the  EMRP  has  made 
substantial  progress  in  relation  to  the  free  movement  of  knowledge  within  the  ERA.  Strong 
cooperation  between  the  main  research  actors  in  the  field  has  been  generated  in  order  to 
support  the  development  of  knowledge  and  growth  to  support  Europe's  competitiveness  at 
global  scale.  The  partial  focus  on  the  grand  challenges  related  to  energy,  environment  and 
health  is  enabling  more  interdisciplinary  collaboration  within  the  metrology  community  to 
address societal need. The Panel concludes that the EMRP contributes to the realisation of the 
European Research Area (ERA) by implementing a genuine “European Metrology Research 
Area” (MERA). 
With regard to the specific objectives the Panel underlines the structuring effect in relation to 
financial integration which has  taken place already in the first years of the EMRP. There is 
also another useful structuring effect observed, that is apparent through the elaborate annual 
process  of  setting  priorities  for  the  Joint  Calls,  which  seems  to  be  influencing  national 
priorities in some countries. The structuring effect and de-fragmentation is clearly greater in 
those countries operating with a centralised metrology system. It is too early to assess these 
structuring effects on industry, society and the exploitation of new technologies but the Panel 
seems  convinced  that  a  level  of  critical  mass  is  being  achieved  that  would  have  been 
impossible without the EMRP.  
The  EMRP  operational  objectives  cover  issues  related  to  the  grand  challenges,  capacity 
building,  open  access  to  infrastructures,  increasing  collaboration  with  the  wider  scientific 
community, modernisation, mobility of young researchers, better coordination of international 
affairs,  supporting  regulation  &  standards  and  supporting  industry  and  economic  growth. 
According  to  the  Decision  the  EMRP  is  expected  to  achieve  these  operational  objectives  in 
the following way: 
a) Pooling excellence in metrology research - by creating competitive joint research projects 
(hereinafter referred to as "EMRP projects") marshalling capability of sufficient critical mass 
from  the  networks  of  national  metrology  institutes  and  designated  institutes  from  the 
Participating States to tackle major metrology challenges faced at European level; 
b)  Openness  of  the  system  to  best  science  -  by  increasing  participation  from  the  wider 
European researcher community through researcher grants; 

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SEC(2008) 2949 Impact assessment report 

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c)  Capacity  building  -  by  increasing  the  capability  of  the  European  metrology  researcher 
community through researcher mobility grants targeting those EURAMET Member Countries 
with limited metrology research capability.  
The  Panel  highlighted  with  great  satisfaction  that  the  pooling  excellence  in  metrology 
research has been achieved within the European metrology community. EURAMET e.V. and 
the  EMRP  Committee  should  be  congratulated  on  facilitating  the  scientific  coordination 
according to the Panel. The Panel encouraged possible improvements in the selection process 
for Strategic Research Topics for each Call, which could be even more supportive to opening 
the  EMRP  to  all  relevant  stakeholder  needs.  Such  an  approach  may  be  more  supportive  to 
exploitation of results at industry and regulatory level and may call for an enlargement of the 
existing metrology research capabilities within the national institutes and beyond. 
The  Commission  endorses  the  Panel  recommendation  and  encourages  EURAMET  e.  V.  to 
explore the potential added value of organising stakeholder workshops to prioritise Strategic 
Research  Topics,  especially  for  Grand  Challenge  Calls  where  a  more  open-minded  culture 
would be desirable. 
The Commission further agrees with the Panel's recommendation that certain research topics 
would benefit from an increased weighting of the impact criteria related to rapid exploitation 
of results within Europe. 
In contrast to the great success of pooling excellence in the core metrology community itself, 
the opening of the system to the best science has so far been limited. The Panel reports a clear 
external  perception  that  the  EMRP  still  seems  to  be  rather  closed  to  the  wider  European 
research community.  
The Commission therfore encourages EURAMET e.V. as recommended by the Panel to 
explore ways to better use the grant schemes to foster links with the best centres of excellence 
across Europe. 

In  its  further  analysis  the  Panel  finally  concludes  that  the  EMRP  is  not  having  the  desired 
effect in terms of capacity building in those countries with limited or no metrology research 
capability. While some countries have taken advantage of the programme to build capacity in 
strategic areas of interest, the capacity gap with the most research-intensive countries seems 
to increase.  
It should also be noted that the mechanisms in the existing EMRP related to opening of the 
system  to  the  best  science  and  the  capacity  building  have  been  based  mainly  on  the  grant 
system within EMRP. It seems that the financial capacity of the grant system itself is not the 
major  bottleneck.  The  Panel  reminded  that  the  existing  EMRP  is  designed  by  the  EMRP 
Decision  as  a  research  programme  striving  towards  scientific  excellence  with  its  specific 
operational processes and financial instruments and the running EMRP can not easily support 
in  addition  the  complex  issue  of  capacity  building.  In  this  respect  the  Panel  has  given 
interesting and important recommendations for a potential longer term future of the EMRP. 
The  Commission  shares  the  Panel  views  on  the  progress  towards  the  objectives  as  reported 
and  the  Commission  fully  endorses  the  recommandation  to  use  expert  facilitators  to  foster 
better inclusion of those countries with limited metrology research capacity with the aim of 
closing the gap with the more advanced countries. 
2.5 European added value of the EMRP 
The  Panel  expressed  its  strong  view  that  the  EMRP  is  an  excellent  model  of  what  can  be 
achieved  by  coordinating  core-funded  national  R&D  programmes.  The  Panel  highlighted 
three particular aspects of the EMRP in providing substantial European added value:  

• 

EMRP allows for critical mass to address even complex, interdisciplinary topics such 
as  the  grand  societal  challenges,  which  would  be  beyond  the  capacities  of  a  single 
country. 

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• 

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EMRP  is  pooling  substantial  resources  and  brings  together  research  efforts  in  the 
field  of  metrology  from  22  countries.  The  Panel  estimates  that  about  50%  of  total 
dedicated  metrology  funding  in  Europe  is  now  coordinated  through  the  EMRP, 
which  along  with  the  EU  contribution,  amounts  to  a  EUR  400  million  in  a  single 
joint programme. 

The  Panel  recognises  a  "de-fragmentation"  of  research  efforts  and  observed  that  a 
reduction in unnecessary duplication is achieved through both the elaborate planning 
and implementation of each joint call (joint programming). 

Against  this  background  the  Panel  encourages  EURAMET  e.  V.  to  consider  how  EMRP 
project  results  can  be  rapidly  exploited  by  European  industry  and  suggests  focusing  more 
attention on innovation and knowledge transfer activities on a longer term basis. 

Another domain that has both European and national value added is the EMRP in its support 
to  regulation  in  general  like  for  example  environmental  regulation  such  as  the  European 
Water  Framework  Directive.  The  Panel  recalled  that  the  development  and  definition  of 
metrological  aspects  of  such  regulations  are  examples  where  the  metrology  research 
community  collaborating  under  the  auspices  of  EMRP  and  EURAMET  e.V.  should  be 
playing a leading role in developing underpinning new measurement methods. The Panel is of 
the  opinion  that  this  requires  a  wide  level  of  foresight  activities  and  early  engagement  with 
policy makers and regulatory authorities at national and European level. Only if this level of 
cooperation is achieved the EMRP will be able to exploit its full potential in support of the 
Union policies.  

The Commission encourages EURAMET e.V.  on  the basis of the Panel recommendation to 
explore options for foresight workshops with regulatory ministries/agencies and the relevant 
Commission Directorate-Generals. 
In addition to possible foresight activities towards regulatory matters, the Panel noticed that 
metrology  aspects  in  relation  to  ‘new  technologies’  is  a  field  in  which  the  metrology 
community can support the growth of emerging sectors, where there is a need to develop new 
or  more  accurate  measurement  methodologies.  "New  technologies"  seem  therefore  an  area 
where there should be more collaboration with the wider research community either directly 
within  EMRP  projects  but  also  potentially  through  coordination  with  complementary  FP7 
projects and actors. 
The  Commission  welcomes  the  Panel  recommendation  to  explore  the  potential  added  value  of 
creating  incentives  to  enable  cross-fertilisation  between  complementary  EMRP  and  FP7  actors  and 
projects. 
2.6 The future development of EMRP beyond FP7 and lessons learned for future joint 
programmes in general 
The  Panel  is  of  the  opinion  that  beside  the possible  above  mentioned  improvements  for  the 
running  EMRP,  there  are  also  a  number  of  lessons  for  future  joint  programmes  in  general. 
These lessons include some that are generic and others that are specific to the situation of the 
European metrology community – for example, the extensive use of national ‘institutional or 
block’ funding. 

The Commission welcomes, without pre-empting any decision on the future of EMRP beyond 
FP7, the initiative taken by the Panel to advise on eleven possible issues to be considered for 
the design of  any future  initiative  which should enable EURAMET e.V. to reach for higher 
levels of European integration. 

Concerning the lessons for future joint programmes the Panel expressed its view that EMRP 
could  be  in  some  cases  an  example  for  Joint  Programming  activities  or  other  initiatives,  in 

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case they would make use of Article 185 TFEU for the implementation of a joint programme. 
The  Panel  concluded  that  not  all  interested  Member  States  may  have  yet  suitable  running 
programmes to integrate within a joint programme or the programmes are not flexible enough 
to do so. It needs to be considered that in most EU countries, limited competitive funding is 
available for coordination at European level.  

In  the  opinion  of  the  expert  panel,  it  is  particularly  difficult  to  achieve  financial  integration 
under Article 185 initiatives and EMRP is a showcase how a "virtual common pot" based on 
in-kind contribution can achieve a very high level of financial integration. 

The Commission welcomes the Panel reflections concerning future joint programmes and will 
continue  its  coordination  activities  between  the  different  running Article  185  initiatives,  in 
order to draw lessons learned for the future to provide for support to potential public-public 
partnerships under Horizon2020. 

3. 

CONCLUSION 

Having started in 2009, the EMRP operational performance has achieved maturity as a joint 
research  prgramme  between  22  Participating  States,  implemented  by  EURAMET  e.V.  The 
integration  between  the  participating  national  programmes  is  considered  high.  The 
Commission  will  therefore  continue  to  support  the  current  programme  as  foreseen  in  the 
EMRP Decision. 

The EMRP is performing well after 3 years to most of its initial operational objectives in what 
concerns nearly 85% of the EMRP resources, namely the pooling of excellence in metrology 
research.  However  there  are  significant  gaps  between  expectation  and  reality  in  relation  to 
three  qualitative  impact  indicators:  capacity  building,  interaction  with  the  wider  scientific 
community and mobility. 

EURAMET e.V. and the EMRP Committee as the highest instances in the EMRP governance 
are invited to make all necessary efforts to improve this situation in the remaining period of 
the programme. While no changes to the initial Decision are considered necessary the above 
mentioned Panel recommendations should be implemented by EURAMET e.V. as well as any 
additional  measure  that  EURAMET  members  may  consider  useful  or  necessary  to  improve 
the  capacity  building,  the  interaction  with  the  wider  scientific  community  and  the  mobility 
within the EMRP. 

Finally, the Commission will during the next years be open to engage with EURAMET e.V. 
into preliminery discussions on the possible follow up for the current EMRP in the context of 
the next programming period, without prejudice to the final decision about HORIZON 2020 
and the EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework, taking into consideration the wider political 
context of the EUROPE 2020 strategy. 

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