Report on the 36th meeting of ISO/REMCO

The meeting report of the 39th annual ISO/REMCO meeting gives an update on the current activities of the ISO Committee for Reference Materials. The key topics that were discussed at this year’s meeting included ways of increasing the active membership of the committee and the interactions of the committee with its organizations in liaison. New opportunities to promote the deliverables of the committee and its other activities were also explored. ISO Central Secretariat approved a project for ISO/REMCO to develop a new website that could be used for more effective information sharing. The progress that was made with the work programme of the committee is also discussed in the report. This includes the completion of the project to convert ISO Guide 34 into a harmonized international standard ISO 17034. Progress was also made with the drafting of a new edition of ISO Guide 35 which provides guidance for the characterization and the assessment of the homogeneity and stability of reference materials. The committee is also exploring the possibility of developing some more sector-specific guidance for reference material producers in emerging fields, such as biological measurements.