About us

The Slovak Institute of Metrology (SMÚ) is a contributory organization serving as the national metrology institution in the Slovak Republic. SMÚ operates based on § 6 of Act No. 157/2018 Coll. on Metrology and on the Amendment and Supplementation of Certain Acts.

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The Slovak Institute of Metrology (hereinafter referred to as the “SMÚ”) was established pursuant to Act No. 157/2018 Coll. on Metrology and on Amendments to Certain Acts (the Metrology Act) and serves as the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of the Slovak Republic.

The Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing (ÚNMS SR) is the founding authority of the SMÚ. Pursuant to Act No. 575/2001 Coll. on the Organisation of Government Activities and the Organisation of Central State Administration (the Competence Act), ÚNMS SR is the central government authority responsible for technical standardization, metrology, quality, conformity assessment, the mutual recognition of goods, the removal of barriers to the free movement of goods, and the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies. ÚNMS SR is a central government authority operating under the authority of the Government of the Slovak Republic. Pursuant to Act No. 523/2004 Coll. on Budgetary Rules of Public Administration and on Amendments to Certain Acts, the SMÚ is a state contributory organisation.

The SMÚ is a research and development organisation that forms an integral part of the national metrology system of the Slovak Republic and performs a broad range of activities in the field of metrology. The SMÚ is a signatory to the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA), which provides for the mutual recognition of national measurement standards and the calibration and measurement certificates issued by National Metrology Institutes. The SMÚ’s Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMCs) are published in the BIPM Key Comparison Database (KCDB) following successful participation in international key and supplementary comparisons and peer review of its quality management system. The CMCs published in the KCDB are internationally recognised within the CIPM MRA framework and serve as a reference for National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and accreditation bodies within the international quality infrastructure, including those participating in the Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated (Global ACI).

The core activity of the SMÚ is research and experimental development in the natural and technical sciences, with a particular focus on fundamental (scientific) metrology. Its mission is to ensure the reliability, comparability and accuracy of measurements of physical and physicochemical quantities through an unbroken chain of metrological traceability to national measurement standards.The SMÚ fulfils this mission, in particular, through the calibration of measuring instruments, verification of specified measuring instruments, type approval of measuring instruments, official measurement, and the certification of reference materials. The Institute also provides technical support for the implementation of quality management systems, maintains professional cooperation with research, academic and industrial organisations, promotes the interests of the Slovak Republic in the global measurement infrastructure and international trade environment, supports the mutual recognition of measurement results and certificates, and contributes to the protection of public interests and consumer rights.

The SMÚ is responsible for the development, maintenance and advancement of the national measurement standards and for ensuring their international equivalence and comparability with the measurement standards maintained by other National Metrology Institutes.

The SMÚ also carries out assessments of professional competence in metrology for representatives of authorised and registered entities, as well as for individuals performing official measurements or the verification of specified measuring instruments. In addition, the Institute provides specialised training courses, educational programmes and professional seminars in the field of metrology.

As a notified body designated under No. 1781, the SMÚ carries out conformity assessment activities in accordance with Government Regulation of the Slovak Republic No. 145/2016 Coll. on the making available of measuring instruments on the market, as amended by Government Regulation of the Slovak Republic No. 328/2019 Coll., which transposed Directive 2014/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of measuring instruments (MID) into Slovak legislation.

The SMÚ fulfils obligations arising from its membership in international metrology organisations and associations, as well as from the membership of the Slovak Republic in relevant international organisations. It actively contributes to the activities of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET), the Euro-Asian Cooperation of National Metrological Institutions (COOMET), and the European Cooperation in Legal Metrology (WELMEC). The Institute participates in international comparison measurements, undergoes regular international peer reviews within the framework of the international metrology system, and participates in international projects funded by the European Union.

The SMÚ is a major provider of metrology services to public authorities, including entities operating in the internal security and defence sectors, as well as to authorities responsible for public health protection and environmental protection. The Institute also provides metrology services to major industrial and commercial entities, including Slovenské elektrárne (EBO and EMO), Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť (JAVYS), VÚJE, SPP – distribúcia, NAFTA, Transpetrol, Eustream, and the electricity distribution companies Západoslovenská distribučná, Stredoslovenská distribučná, and Východoslovenská distribučná, as well as companies such as U. S. Steel, Volkswagen, Emerson, Duslo, Nestlé, and Heineken. The SMÚ also serves water utility companies, nuclear medicine facilities including BIONT, hospitals, and scientific, research and development organisations.

The SMÚ is the only provider in the Slovak Republic of certain metrology services, including the verification of specified measuring instruments for ionising radiation, road traffic speed measuring instruments, breath alcohol analysers, statistical control of utility meters (electricity meters and gas meters), and the determination of errors of specified measuring instruments during their verification validity period. The metrology services provided by the SMÚ represent the highest level of national measurement capability in the Slovak Republic, as all measurement results are traceable to the national measurement standards.

The SMÚ provides the highest level of national metrology services, thereby enhancing confidence in measurement results that underpin the protection of life, health, safety, property and the environment, contribute to the prevention and resolution of disputes, and support consumer protection. Measurement results obtained through the metrological services provided by the Slovak Institute of Metrology (SMÚ) are also essential for payments and for determining prices, fees, tariffs, customs duties, taxes, benefits, fines, reimbursements, compensation, insurance payments, and other similar payments. They also contribute to ensuring interoperability and eliminating technical and non-tariff barriers to international trade. The activities of SMÚ are indispensable to public authorities and to the fields of security, science, research and healthcare, as well as to entities operating within the national economy of the Slovak Republic.

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List of accredited bodies