The objectives of the CIPM MRA are stated as:
- to establish the degree of equivalence of national measurement standards maintained by NMIs
- to provide for the mutual recognition of calibration and measurement certificates issued by NMIs
- thereby to provide governments and other parties with a secure technical foundation for wider agreements related to international trade, commerce and regulatory affairs
The objectives of the CIPM MRA are to be achieved through:
- International comparisons of measurements, to be known as key comparisons
- Supplementary international comparisons of measurements
- Quality systems and demonstrations of competence by NMIs
The CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA) was signed on 14 October, 1999 by the Directors of the National Metrology Institutes of 38 States signatories to the Metre Convention and two international organizations.
The essence of the CIPM MRA is that it provides the institutional and technical framework (the “what”, “who” and “how”) for NMIs to recognize each others’ measurement standards and calibration certificates.
The outcome of the CIPM MRA processes are statements of the internationally recognized calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) of each NMI published in the database maintained by the BIPM and publicly available online.