Setting the standard: 25 years of quality measurement
A publication marking the 25th year of EU involvement in measurement related work has recently been issued by the European Commission, DG XII. This was one of the first areas where research was supported on a European level and was formalised in the 1970s when the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) was established. The publication documents developments in measurements and standards activities over the last 25 years, from the first days of the BCR to the present day Standards, Measurements and Testing programme (SMT) which runs until the end of 1998. The publication provides a brief history of the changing face of European research and the changing need for standards, measurements and testing in Europe. A section is devoted to the development of a programme to meet European needs and a final section discusses key actions for the future in this subject area in the context of the Fifth RTD Framework Programme. Contact details for further information are also provided at the end of the report.