Czechia adopts its national metrology system development concept for 2027–2031: 67 national standards, CZK 85 million a year for ČMI and goals including hydrogen, vehicle chargers and an optical frequency standard
On 2 September 2026 the Czech Metrology Institute (ČMI) announced that Government Resolution No 560 of 31 August 2026 approved the concept for the development of the national metrology system of the Czech Republic for 2027–2031. The document, with an annex on the development of the technical base, was published by the Office for Standards, Metrology and Testing (ÚNMZ).
- According to the concept, 67 national measurement standards were maintained in Czechia at the end of 2025 — at ČMI and at associated laboratories (including the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and the Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the Academy of Sciences). In 2025 ČMI took part in 64 projects of the European Partnership on Metrology.
- The concept keeps the current institutional set-up, plans transposition of the amendment to Measuring Instruments Directive 2014/32/EU in 2027–2028 and asks the Czech accreditation body ČIA to develop measures concerning metrology in accreditation processes.
- The concept provides for funding: an industry ministry contribution to ČMI of CZK 85 million a year, CZK 10 million a year for the ÚNMZ metrology development programme, about CZK 7 million a year from the education ministry for EURAMET projects and about EUR 85,000 a year in membership fees to metrology organisations.
- The annex sets goals for the technical base, including a mobile reference system with a gas chromatograph for verifying gas energy content measurement (by 12/2028), traceability for hydrogen quality and hydrogen–natural gas mixtures (12/2030), traceability and infrastructure for verifying measuring instruments in electric vehicle chargers above 400 kW (12/2031), new certified reference materials for thermal properties (12/2030) and reducing the uncertainty of the ¹⁷¹Yb⁺ optical frequency standard below 1 × 10⁻¹⁵ (12/2027).