Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements
The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) is one of the seven institutes of the Joint Research Center , a Directorate General of the European Commission . It is based in Geel, Belgium .
It was founded in 1957 as the Central Office for Core Measurements (CBNM) in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Rome . His original area of responsibility was in the field of the use of nuclear technologies. As part of the realignment of the research strategy, it was given its current name in 1993. Today, in addition to reference materials in the nuclear sector, his work area also includes topics relating to food safety and environmental protection: reference materials , food analysis , bioanalytics, chemical reference measurements , radionuclide measurements and neutron physics .
The IRMM is currently a major manufacturer and distributor of reference materials. It operates four EU reference laboratories. It develops and validates analytical methods, produces reference materials for quality assurance in testing laboratories and organizes evaluation programs for measurements.
Around 350 employees currently work at the IRMM (as of 2008), including 220 EU employees. It is managed by Elke Anklam.