- About INRIM
- Department
- Administration and General Services
- Quality Management System (QMS)
- Achievements and results obtained
- Human Resources
- Financial resources

INRIM is the National Metrological Institute for all SI units and covers almost all scientific metrology in Italy with the exception of the ionising radiations field, handled by ENEA's Istituto Nazionale di Metrologia delle Radiazioni Ionizzanti (INMRI).
INRIM research activities in measurement science, materials science and innovative technologies are recognised world-wide. From the time of signature of the Metre Convention in 1875, one of the main features of metrology is strong international integration as regards policies, programmes and actions. INRIM participates in initiatives promoted by international metrological organisations (BIPM, CIPM, CIPM Advisory Committees), by EURAMET and by EA for accreditation matters.
Specifically, INRIM carries out and promotes scientific research, often in collaboration with various international partners on the basis of specific projects, aimed at:

• realizing primary measurement standards for SI units, as well as determining fundamental physical constants;
• assuring the maintenance of national measurement standards and their recognition at international level, according to the procedures and requirements of the CIPM MRA;
• developing research in the fields of metrology for chemistry, health and environment, nanotechnology, quantum information and computer vision;
• disseminating and transferring the Institute's scientific results, technology and know-how to scientific, industrial and service users;
• providing expertise, advisory and consultancy services to other scientific bodies, public administrations, companies or other private organizations;
• providing support for legal metrology and technical standardization activities;
• assuring the dissemination of SI units and other primary references, providing high level calibration services and working to ensure the reliability and comparability of measurement results;
• operating the national accreditation body for calibration laboratories (SIT);
• contributing to the training of researchers, graduates and technicians, also awarding scholarships and supporting PhD theses, and promoting the technical and professional education and growth of its staff and personnel;
• carrying out communication and promotion activities concerning research;
• participating in evaluation of research and structures.

INRIM's work programmes focus on the needs of its national stakeholders (science, society, industry) and are conducted within the framework of European and international cooperation projects.
INRIM has its main premises in an area of about 16 hectares in the south of Turin, where there are:

• 13 above-ground buildings providing a total space of around 39 000 m² ;
• 174 laboratories dedicated to R&D activities that cover 60-70 %, of the total space, with the remaining area taken up by offices, Laboratory accreditation service, libraries, workshops, administration and support infrastructures.

In addition, INRIM has two operational units hosted by Politecnico di Torino - Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aeronautica e Spaziale and Università di Pavia - Dipartimento Chimica Generale, that, respectively, are part of the Mechanics and Thermodynamics Divisions.

Activities performed in 2008 are presented according to the following organisational structure:

Department

• Electromagnetism Division
• Mechanics Division
• Optics Division
• Thermodynamics Division

Laboratory Accreditation Service

Administration and General Services

Quality management system

In furtherance of INRIM's role as the metrological benchmark for industry, services and government authorities, the Department has operated both in the traditional physics and engineering measurement areas and in those areas where the need for traceability to SI units has emerged more recently.
In the more traditional areas the aim is to improve standards, reduce uncertainties in measurement and widen the measurement ranges to cover areas where current capabilities are inadequate given the needs of users.
In the chemical, environmental and safety, health and quality of life fields, and in the area of nano and biotechnologies, the Department has worked to create directly or stimulate the realization of measurement standards, measurement methods and devices, and to facilitate their recognition as part of the national system of measurement.
The Department has extended its competencies in the field of magnetic, superconductor and nano-structured materials, especially as regards metrological devices and sensors, and quantum technologies.
In support of the competitiveness of Italian industry (in terms of needs for high quality measurement, traceability to measurement standards, sensor development, evaluation of uncertainties in measurement and validation of procedures) the Department has:

• increased knowledge and technological transfer activities as a result of research contracts, filing patents and technical training initiatives for industry and services;
• maintained the current high standard of calibration and testing activities, focusing on satisfying the most demanding needs for measurement capabilities, while transferring other calibration operations to accredited laboratories;
• ensured availability of the Department's technical competencies as support for laboratory accreditation service, legal metrology and standardization activity.

This unit provides the necessary administrative, accounting and technical services that cater for the Institute's needs. In particular it provides:

• support activities for internal and external governing and control bodies;
• personnel administration and salary management services;
• financial, asset and accounting services; technical services for the functioning of general service systems and maintenance of buildings;
• printing and publication services, organization of conventions, congresses and seminars.

INRIM has introduced a review system based on criteria and quality parameters established by the National Agency for Evaluation of Universities and Research.

The Commission Training and Diffusion of Scientific Culture coordinates the activities on:

• training of INRIM staff;
• diffusion of scientific culture: cycle of conferences open to an external public, participation in scientific events in the town (opening of labs, "night of researchers",…), organisation of ESOF 2010, INRIM museum
• interface between department and INRIM library (evaluation of new acquisitions, transmission of requests on organisation);
• promotion of INRIM image (on press, annual report); INRIM publications (as Technical Reports);
• updating of INRIM web site;
• coordination of the didactics performed by INRIM researchers.

The QMS satisfies requirements for participation in the CIPM MRA and agrees with EURAMET guides no. 1, EURAMET's Policy on the Application of Quality Systems in National Metrology Institutes and no. 6, EUROMET Traceability. Specifically during 2008:

• operation of its QMS and its conformity to the ISO/IEC standard 17025:2005 were assured;
• the QMS document system was reviewed, in order to simplify procedures and operative processes;
• the quality policy statement, based on continuous activity improvement, professional ethics, confidence, competition and cooperation with customers, was revised;
• a scheme for maintaining quality documents under control was defined;
• cooperation with the EURAMET TC-Quality, which expressed a positive evaluation of the INRIM QMS status, continued;
• contributions to standardization activities in the fields of quality and measurement instruments were given.

The chart below shows data concerning INRIM CMCs, key comparisons (KCs) and supplementary comparisons (SCs) registered by the year-end 2006, 2007 and 2008.

INRIM CMCs, KCs and SCs registered

Sector*	CMC			KC			SC*
	2006	2007	2008	2006	2007	2008	2006	2007	2008
Acoustics, Ultrasound and Vibration	38	42	42	5	5	-	-	-	-
Amount of substance	7	10	10	7	8	3	1	1	-
Electricity and Magnetism	201	201	206	36	36	-	10	10	4
Length	34	39	39	19	19	-	14	14	-
Mass and Related Quantities	105	105	108	60	60	1	12	12	17
Photometry and Radiometry	23	23	23	9	9	1	1	1	-
Thermometry	29	29	29	12	12	3	2	2	5
Time and Frequency	16	16	16	1	1	1	-	-	3
Total	453	465	473	149	150	9	40	40	29
Total in the BIPM KCDB	-	19 997	20 600	-	598	638	-	166	195

* In Italy the Ionizing Radiations sector - not reported here - is covered by INMRI-ENEA.

At international level 20 600 CMCs, 638 KCs, and 195 SCs had been registered by year-end 2008 (to be compared with 19997 CMCs, 598 KCs and 166 SCs by the year-end 2007).
In 2008 the majority of INRIM's international cooperation activities concerned the participation in the iMERA-Plus programme and, specifically, in the Joint Research Projects (JRPs), which began in March-April 2008.
In addition, mention should be made of the participation in: further projects supported by the Seventh Framework Programme (Solid State Energy Efficient Cooling, on magnetic refrigeration at ambient temperature; Self Optimising Measuring Machine Tools); three European Galileo projects (Giove Mission extension, GSTBV2:Giove mission; atomic clocks); four international research contracts (China, Singapore, CERN and PTB) for development of precision instruments.

Agreements and conventions

In 2008 INRIM signed or renewed agreements with: KRISS (Korea), Technical State University of Novosibirsk and Pisa University (Laser physics and techniques, frequency metrology, electrophysical plants and charged particle accelerators); Centre National Spatiale (Toulouse, France), on satellite navigation; European Telecommunication Standards Institute; Provincia di Torino (stage for foreign students); Politecnico di Torino, COREP, Turin Chamber of Commerce, Istituto Superiore "Mario Boella" (development of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory); Politecnico di Torino and DISMIC (institution of NanoFab Piemonte); Politecnico di Torino and Thales Alenia Space (realization of nanobalance prototype for measuring the engine thrust of satellites) Vesuvian Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (observation and study of the gravimetric field of the Italian active and extinct volcanoes - Vesuvio, Campi Flegrei, Ischia, Vulcano, Isole Eolie, Pantelleria, Colli Albani); University of Torino and Excellence Centre NIS (institution of NanoFab; stages and theses); cooperation agreements signed in 2008 with APAT (now ISPRA) and ARPA Lombardia, International Centre of Theoretical Physics (CIFT, Trieste), ENEA (metrological activities and participation in international bodies), EURAC - Accademia europea (Bolzano), IMOS, Kuala Lumpur (quantum communication).

Piedmont Regional Authority

Within the context of regional tenders for research and innovation and in cooperation with academic and industrial partners, 2008 saw: the development of three projects defined in 2007 and started in 2008 (Wide range sensors and instrument fuel cells, Ytterbium trap reference oscillator, Transmission infrastructure for power exchange); the launch of the three-year project "Metrology at molecular and cellular level in regenerative medicine", coordinated by INRIM; the agreement between the Piedmont Regional Authority, CNR, INRIM, INFN and ENEA, signed at Rome on 16 October 2008 and aiming at increasing the number of researchers engaged in the research institutes operating in Piedmont; participation in the innovation poles Mechatronics and advanced production systems (modelling, sensors, control instrumentation, standards on geometrical product specifications (GPS) and Sustainable architecture and hydrogen (thermoacoustical methods for building energy certification); participation in the technological platforms Biotechnologies for life science and Aerospace.
At regional level worthy of notice is the grant from a Bank Foundation (Compagnia di San Paolo) for INRIM research projects Nanofab ( to set up a laboratory of electronic microscopy nanomanufacture of quantum devices, graphene devices, devices for spinelectronics, magnetoelectronics and magnetotransport in bidimensional structures), Application of hyper-entangled states, Time comparisons at 1 ps level in optical fibres, Atomic standard of mass unit.

Among other activities we would mention:

• the participation in four 2007 PRIN projects (among 12 project proposals): 3 coordinated by the Politecnico di Torino (telemetry based on time flight, quantum optical earth - space communication, mitigation of electromagnetic fields); 1 coordinated by the University of Perugia (anomalies of atomic clocks);
• research contracts with Ribes ricerche (agricultural and food sensors and environment), ENEA (photometry of transparent materials), GMV (satellite navigation systems), Thales Alenia Space (satellite propulsion), CESI (exposure to electromagnetic fields), NATO (quantum communication), GE Sensing (Al-oxide capacitive sensors), Nmi (NL, heat pipes), Thales Alenia Space (mechanical interfaces for propellers), CCC Italia (magnetic shielding of power systems), Abbott (electrolytic conducibility).

The following two charts show data on publications and participation in conferences in the years 2006 to 2008 and the breakdown of publications and participation in conferences in 2008. Worth mentioning is the issue of the Applied acoustics Handbook (in Italian) edited by R. Spagnolo, 1033 pages.

Publications and participation in conferences in 2006 to 2008

Description	2006	2007	2008
Books published	4	4	1
Papers in international journals with IF	121	135	124
average IF	1.70	1.64	1.78
root-mean square deviation of IF	1.24	1.06	2.53
sum of IF	205.7	221.7	221.0
scientific highlights (with IF higher than 2.5)	13	21	15
average IF of scientific highlights	4.26	3.58	5.48
Other papers in international journals	13	9	16
Papers in national journals	35	12	17
Book chapters	12	5	16
Papers in conference proceedings	98	160	126
Technical reports (including reports for research contracts)	57	49	86
Communications at conferences, seminars and meetings	157	222	191
Totals of publications and participation in conferences	497	625	577
Referee activity for: international journals proceedings of international conferences	269 64	180 28	229 33
Chairmanship of conference sessions	28	14	16

Breakdown of publications and participation in conferences in 2008

Description	E	M	O	T	SAL	Gen.	Tot.
Books published	-	-	-	1	-	-	1
Papers in international journals with IF	68	11	22	23	-	-	124
average IF	1.45	1.78	3.09	1.52	-	-	1.78
root-mean square deviation of IF	0.68	1.14	5.29	2.21	-	-	2.53
sum of IF	98.3	19.6	68.0	35.0	-	-	221.0
scientific highlights (with IF higher than 2.5)	4	2	7	2	-	-	15
average IF of scientific highlights	3.06	3.71	6.57	8.27	-	-	5.48
Other papers in international journals	1	1	7	2	-	5	16
Papers in national journals	3	5	4	4	1	-	17
Book chapters	3	-	1	12	-	-	16
Papers in conference proceedings	50	21	19	33	3	-	126
Communications at conferences, seminars and meetings	75	45	49	14	-	8	191

The following three charts show the main products of knowledge transfer in the years 2006 to 2008, comprising: product applications; calibration, measurement and testing activities; education and training activities. The low number of patents filed by INRIM is due to both the tendency for researchers to give greater importance to publication as opposed to obtaining patents and the difficulties and costs of handling patent procedures.

Product applications

Description	2006	2007	2008
Research contract activities: contracts active in the year contracts signed in the year	40 15	65 26	82 39
Patents filed in Italy and requests for European patents	1	4	4
Extension of patents abroad	2	1	4
Calibration procedures in force	228	242	238
Testing procedures in force	30	30	9
Calibration laboratories accredited	170	177	177

Calibration, measurement and testing activities

Structure	No. of documents issued				Income (k€)
	Calibration certificates	Test reports	Other certificates and reports	Total
Electromagnetism Mechanics Optics Thermodynamics Other Total 2006	587 420 189 235 - 1 431	74 - 39 75 - 188	25 14 13 4 - 56	686 434 241 314 - 1 675	686 385 245 363 2 1 681
Electromagnetism Mechanics Optics Thermodynamics Other Total 2007	640 462 251 234 - 1 587	38 3 37 119 - 197	85 9 22 16 - 132	763 474 310 369 - 1 916	702 461 318 367 5 1 853
Electromagnetism Mechanics Thermodynamics Optics Other Total 2008	614 414 222 337 - 1 587	22 2 30 106 - 160	62 23 10 15 - 110	698 439 262 458 - 1 857	663 515 223 463 4 1 868

Education and training activities of researchers and technicians

Description	2006	2007	2008
Graduate courses with INRIM participation	9	10	7
Theses completed during the year (doctorate, level III)	8	6	6
Theses completed during the year (level II)	11	11	17
Theses completed during the year (level I)	35	20	24
Foreign researchers at INRIM (man-months)	15	10	10
INRIM researchers abroad (man-months)	50	35	10
INRIM seminars with internal experts	28	15	4
INRIM seminars with external experts	23	29	29

The following chart shows data on permanent employees (TI) and fixed-term (TD) staff at year-end 2006 to 2008. In 2008, despite the hiring of 6 people in 2008, the staff reduced by 4 units (as a result of 9 persons retiring and 1 person moving from INRIM to CNR).

Permanent employees (TI) and fixed-term staff (TD) at year-end 2006 to 2008

Description	2006		2007		2008
	TI	TD	TI	TD	TI	TD
Researchers and technologists	88	11	86	11	87	10
Technicians	92	8	93	5	89	7
Administration clerks	30	-	29	-	29	1*
Total	210	19	208	16	205	18

* Hired as Director general.

The next chart shows data on other staff, comprising: paid cooperators, holders of research grant, scholarships, doctorate students.

Other staff as at December 31, 2008

Structure	Paid cooperators	Research grants	Scholarships	Doctorate students	Total
Department	9	23	1	26	59
Administration and general services	3	-	-	-	3
Total	12	23	1	26	62

The following chart shows data on the staff occupied in the different activities in 2008, expressed in full time equivalent persons (FTE), and the related costs. The activity typologies consist of Department activities (INRIM research and development, granted research and development, measurement standards, calibration and testing, workshop, department management and other), calibration laboratory accreditation, administration and general services, INRIM general activities (training and diffusion of scientific culture, quality management system, safety in working environment).

Staff occupied in the different activities and related costs in 2008

Activity	Staff occupied (FTE)	Staff cost (k€)
INRIM research and development	99.5	5 145
Granted research and development	33.8	2 034
Measurement standards	28.2	1 648
Calibration and testing	28.9	1 542
Workshop	6.4	267
Department management and other	9.4	696
Department	206.2	11 332
Calibration laboratory accreditation	15.0	812
Administration and general services	48.5	2 458
INRIM general activities (training and diffusion of scientific culture, quality management system, safety in working environment)	4.6	276
Total	274.3	14 878

The following two charts summarize data concerning income and expenses, respectively, in the years 2006 to 2008. Clearing transactions (3 789, 4 725, 4 417 k€), not considered in these charts, are of the order of 15 % of total income and total expenses.
Self-financing (deriving from participation in research programmes, Piedmont Regional Authority, funding of INRIM research initiatives, receipts for research contracts, consultancy, calibration, test and other activities performed by the Department, laboratory accreditation activities) amounted in 2008 to 7 291 k€, i.e. 25.6 % of the total incomes.
For the year 2007 and 2008 the high value carried forward to the next budget was mainly due to:

• the MIUR grant as ordinary fund, higher than that foreseen but communicated in December. The grant in 2008 corresponded to 14.1 ppm of Italy's GNP (1 800 G$ = 1 454 G€);
• the high value of self-financing, especially in 2008;
• the costs of personnel lower than that foreseen.

Costs of overall personnel (with permanent and temporary contracts, research grants, scholarships and paid co-workers) were 14 878 k€ in 2008, i.e. 47.2 % of total income.

Income in 2006 to 2008 (k€)

Description	2006	2007	2008
Operating surplus from the previous year	954	1 500	3 120
MIUR grant as ordinary fund and for specific purposes (chap.1)	20 226	19 939	20 513
MIUR grant for specific research projects (chap. 2)	-	13	101
Piedmont Regional Authority (funding of research projects, annual fund - chap. 3)	1 668	567	539
Contracts with the EU Commission (chap. 9)	7	187	689
Contracts with CNR and other public bodies ( chaps. 8-30)	125	199	648
Funding of INRIM research initiatives (cat. VIII)	59	23	1 809
Receipts for research contracts CR (chap. 10)	525	449	464
Consultancy, calibration, test and other activities performed by the Department	1 681	1 853	1 868
Laboratory accreditation activities	903	800	1 175
Other receipts (cat. IV-VI-VII-VIII-IX-X-XI-XII)	1 890	723	603
Total incomes	28 038	26 253	31 528

Self-financing	value (k€)	4 968	4 079	7 191
	value / total income (%)	17.7	15.5	22.8

Expenses in 2006 to 2008(k€)

Description	2006	2007	2008
Costs of personnel with permanent and temporary contract (cat. II-XV), excluding cost of mission (chap. 9)	13 206	13 915	12 838
Costs of mission for personnel with permanent and temporary contract (chap. 9)	278	288	366
Costs of personnel with research grants and scholarships (chap. 43-44)	549	605	1 217
Costs of paid co-workers (chap. 19)	324	478	456
Operating costs for research activities (chaps. 17-18-22-42)	1 048	1 374	1 757
Overhead expenses, including running costs (cat. I-IV-VII-VIII-IX-X) + (chaps. 45-46) - (chaps. 17-18-22-42)	6 079	4 678	5 141
Capital expenditures for research activities (chaps. 59-60-61)	2 510	1 611	4 701
Other capital expenditures (cat. XI-XIV) + (chaps. 62-63-64)	2 466	624	919
Carried forward to next budget	1 580	2 680	4 132
Total expenses	28 039	26 254	31 528

Costs of personnel	value (k€)	14 356	15 287	14 878
	value / total expenses (%)	51.2	58.2	47.2

The following two charts show, for the year 2008, the distribution of expenses into the different activities and funding of the different activities.

Distribution of expenses into the different activities in 2008 (k€)

Activity	Personnel	Consumables		Capital expenditure		Total
		direct	overhead	direct	other	value	value/total (%)
Research and institutional activities Granted research and development Measurement standards Calibration and testing Workshop Management and other Total Department	5 145 2 034 1 648 1 542 267 696 11 332	1 455 27 56 24 5 8 1 575	1 977 671 560 575 127 189 4 099	4 661 - 1 - - - 4 662	354 120 100 103 23 34 733	13 591 2 852 2 365 2 244 422 926 22 401	49.6 10.4 8.6 8.2 1.5 3.4 81.8
Laboratory accreditation service	812	44	229	25	41	1 152	4.2
Administration and general services	2 458	138	742	14	133	3 484	12.7
General INRIM activities	276	-	70	-	13	359	1.3
Total	14 878	1 757	5 141	4 701	919	27 396	100.0

Funding of the different activities in 2008 (k€)

Activity	Operating surplus 2007, MIUR grant, other receipts	Self-funding					Total	Self-funding/Total (%)
		Piedmont Reg. Authority	Funding of research initiatives	Granted R&D	Calibration & testing	Laboratory accreditation
Res. and institut. activities Granted res. and develop. Measurement standards Calibration and testing Workshop Management and other Total Department	11 783 513 2 365 376 422 926 16 385	- 539 - - - - 539	1 809 - - - - - 1 809	- 1 800 - - - - 1 800	- - - 1 868 - - 1 868	- - - - - - -	13 591 2 852 2 365 2 244 422 926 22 401	13.3 82.0 - 83.3 - - 26.9
Laboratory accreditation service	-23	-	-	-	-	1 175	1 152	102.0
Administration and general services	3 484	-	-	-	-	-	3 484	-
General INRIM activities	359	-	-	-	-	-	359	-
Total	20 205	539	1 809	1 800	1 868	1 175	27 396	26.2