International Agreements

Written agreements between NIST and foreign agencies and organizations, known as international agreements (IAs) must be reviewed and cleared by the Deputy Chief Counsel to ensure that statutory authority exists for the proposed IA and that NIST's legal interests are protected. All proposed IAs must also be reviewed and cleared through the Office of International and Academic Affairs (OIAA), which has jurisdiction over NIST's cooperative activities with foreign countries. These two offices will coordinate their reviews to determine whether the proposed IA requires interagency review, which is conducted by the Department of State.

The following international agreement (IA) types includes a description of the agreement, appropriate titles for specific instances and appropriate levels of signature.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Protocol: These title should only be used for binding agency-to agency international agreements that commit both parties to specific actions, such as the protection of intellectual property. This type of agreement is typically broad in scope and would cover any cooperative activity between NIST and the foreign entities. MOUs/Protocols must be signed by the Deputy Director of NIST or higher.

Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA): An MRA should be used when NIST and the foreign laboratory or agency agree that they are competent to carry out a specific measurement or accreditation , and those measurement or accreditations will be acceptable in each others' countries. MRA's should be signed by the Deputy Director of NIST or higher.

Cooperative Research Project (CRP): This title should be used when a research project commits both parties to specific activities but is not under a the auspices of a pre-existing MOU. This would be a binding project agreement. CRP's should be signed by the Laboratory Director or his/her designee.

Implementing Arrangements or Project Annexes: Implementing Arrangements or Project Annexes should be used to describe a specific research project or activity under an existing MOU or Protocol. Implementing Arrangements or Project Annexes should be signed by the Laboratory Director or his/her designee.

Statement of Intent or Statement of Interest: Statements of Intent or Statements of Interest indicate that the two sides intend to cooperate in areas of mutual interest, or to explore areas of mutual interest. This would not be a binding document and would not commit either party to any specific activity. Statement of Intent or Statement of Interest should be signed by the Division Chief or higher.

Record of Discussion (RoD): These would be informal documents describing discussions that have taken place that do not commit either party to any specific activity. These should be used only when both parties agree that they would like some record of their discussions. RoD's should be signed by the principals involved.

The following table is a list of NIST's international agreements.

In order to view some of the documents on this website, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, Version 3.01. If you do not have it, you can download a free copy. If you would like to receive a hard copy of any of the documents listed below, please contact the NIST Office of International and Academic Affairs at 301-975-3071 or e-mail Joy Foster at joy.foster@nist.gov.

**MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING**
COUNTRY	DATE SIGNED	TERMINATION DATE	COMMENTS
Argentina	September 30, 2002	September 29, 2007	MOU [pdf] with the National Institute for Industrial Technology (INTI) of the Secretariat of Industry for cooperation in chemistry, physics, and engineering measurement science.
Brazil	April 10, 2002	April 9, 2007	MOU [pdf] with the National Institute of Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality (INMETRO) for cooperation in chemistry, physics and engineering measurement sciences.
Brazil	May 5, 2000	May 4, 2005	MOU with the Instituto de Pesquisas Technologicas (IPT) for technical cooperation in chemistry, physics, and engineering measurement sciences.
Canada	March 23, 1992	indefinite	MOU with the Communication Security Establishment (CSE) in information security.
Canada	May 23, 1992	indefinite	MOU with the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) in standards and metrology.
Canada	April 28, 1992	indefinite	MOU with the Canada Treasury Board Secretariat, Administrative Policy Branch in standardization supporting government administration.
Czech Republic	September 3, 1999	September 2, 2004	MOU with the Czech Office for Standards, Metrology, and Testing (COSMT).
Ecuador	June 10, 1999	June 9, 2004	MOU with the Ecuadorian Institute Standardization (INEN) for cooperation in chemistry, physics, engineering measurements.
Egypt	December 16, 1996	April 21, 2007	MOU with the National Institute for Standards (NIS) for cooperation in measurement sciences in chemistry, physics and engineering related to standards and conformity assessment.
Finland	May 30, 2002	May 29, 2007	MOU [pdf] with the National Technology Agency of the Republic of Finland for cooperation in manufacturing engineering, information technology, materials science, building technology and engineering measurement sciences, standards-related activities and interchange of technical information and experiences.
Germany	May 12, 2000	May 11, 2005	MOU [pdf] with Physikalish-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the Bundesanstalt fur Materialforshung und-Prufung (BAM) for scientific and technical cooperation in chemistry, physics and engineering measurement sciences, materials technology, standards-related activities and the interchange of technical information and experiences.
Indonesia	November 16, 1994	indefinite	MOU between the Department of Commerce and the Ministry of State for Research and Technology. The Implementing Agencies are NIST and the National Standardization Council (DSN) for cooperation in standards, metrology, and conformity.
Japan	October 29, 1999	October 28, 2004	MOU with the Nippon Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (NTT) for cooperation in basic science and telecommunications.
Kenya	December 3, 1998	December 3, 2003	MOU with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for technical cooperation in chemistry, physics, and engineering measurement sciences.
Korea	April 1, 2000	March 31, 2005	MOU with the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) for cooperation in chemistry, physics, and engineering measurement sciences.
Korea	May 9, 2000	May 8, 2005	MOU [pdf] with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards for cooperation relating to standardization, conformity assessment and legal metrology.
Russia	March 23, 1998	March 22, 2003	MOU with the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (GOSSTANDARDT) for cooperation in standards, conformity and metrology.
Russia	July 16, 1996	under negotiation	MOU with the Russian Academy of Sciences for cooperation on chemistry, physics and engineering sciences.
Saudi Arabia	July 29, 2000	July 28, 2008	MOU with Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) for technical cooperation in standards and related activities.
South Africa	July 23, 1996	July 22, 2006	MOU [pdf] (extension) [pdf] with the CSIR, a Body Corporate established in terms of the Scientific Research Council Act 1988 for cooperation in chemistry, physics and engineering measurement sciences.
NIST/AIT	January 2, 1997	indefinite	Cooperative Program in Physical Sciences between the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the U.S.
Multilateral	May 15, 1990	indefinite	MOU with six countries to establish COMAR-computer access to Certified Reference Materials (CRM).
Multilateral	January 25, 1995	indefinite	MOU with the twenty-seven countries in five regions (NORAMET, CAMET, CARIMET, ANDIMET and SURAMET) of the Interamerican Metrology System.
Multilateral	March 10, 1996	March 11, 2005	MOU with the Standardization and Metrology Organization for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries for technical cooperation in standards activities.
Regional	April 4, 1995	April 3, 2002	MOU for Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC).
Regional	April 29, 1994	April 28, 1999	MOU with Canada and Mexico to establish North American Calibration Cooperation (NACC) calibrations and metrology.
Regional	April 29, 1994	April 28, 1999	MOU with Canada and Mexico to establish measurement services in North America (NORAMET).
Regional	April 26, 2000	April 25, 2002 (automatic two year renewal)	MOU [pdf] with Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF).

**OTHER AGREEMENTS**
COUNTRY	DATE SIGNED	TERMINATION DATE	COMMENTS
Canada	August 9, 1995	indefinite	Implementing Agreement with the Communication Security Establishment (CSE) for cryptographic module validation.
Canada	October 15, 1997	October 14, 1999	Statement of Intent with the Institute for Research in Construction of the National Research Council.
People's Republic of China	January 16, 1995	January 15, 2000	Protocol with the State Bureau of Technical Supervision (SBTS) for cooperation in standards and metrology.
Czech Republic	April 26, 1993	indefinite	Implementing Agreement with the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology (PICT).
European Union	October 5, 1999	October 4, 2004	Implementing Arrangement [pdf] for cooperation in the fields of metrology and measurement standards.
Germany	March 27, 1995	indefinite	Statement of Intent on recognition of traceability of measurement standards with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB).
Germany	June 24, 1997	December 31, 2002	Cooperative Project among Fachinformationszentrum Karlsruhe (FIZ) and Gmelin-Institute fur Anorganische Chemie der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften to develop a crysrallographic structural database for inorganic substances.
Hungary	November 22, 1984	indefinite	Implementing Agreement under Article II and III of the Agreement on Cooperation in Culture, Education, Science and Technology for exchange of scientists, and information with the Research Institute for Technical Physics.
Hungary	October 4, 1994	October 3, 1999	Projects under umbrella US-Hungary Science and Technology agreement joint fund.
Japan	March 21, 1996	indefinite	Project agreement with the Communications Research Laboratory to pursue contractual arrangement to construct and evaluate an optically pumped primary frequency standard. (PL)
Japan	February 17, 1997	February 21, 1999	Implementing Agreement with the National Aerospace Laboratory Kakuda Research Center under the US-Japan Agreement for Science and Technology to compare measurement techniques to determine the thermal conductivity of ceramic coatings on metallic substrates.
Japan	January 30, 2003	January 29, 2008	Cooperation Agreement [pdf] with the National Institute for Materials Science of Japan concerning technical cooperation in the fields of materials science and engineering mesurement sciences.
Japan	July 17, 2001	July 16, 2006	Cooperation Agreement [pdf] with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology for cooperation in the fields of measurement standards.
Korea	August 16, 1993	August 15, 1998	Agreement with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) for cooperation in materials science. (MSEL)
Korea	August 14, 1995	August 13, 1998	Project Annex to the MOU with the Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) for cooperation in laser spectroscopy. (CSTL)
Korea	July 8, 2003	July 7, 2006 (extended)	Project Annex [pdf] to the MOU with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) on determination of comparability of Korean and U.S. test methods and tools for B2B software intergration. Extension [pdf]
Korea	July 13, 2004	July 12, 2005	Project Annex [pdf] to the MOU with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) on development of nano-bio reference materials and measurements using flouresence semiconductor nanocrystals.
Korea	April 26, 2001	May 8, 2005	Project Annex [pdf] to the MOU with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards on determination of comparability of Korean and U.S. standards for testing wood frame assemblies.
Korea	July 16, 2004	-	Statement of Intent [pdf] with the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS).
Mexico	December 4, 1996	January 20, 2007	Implementing Agreement (1996) [pdf] (Extension (2002) [pdf])with the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), the Secretary of Commerce and Industrial Development (SECOFI) and the National Center for Metrology (CENAM) for cooperation in chemistry, physics, engineering measurement sciences, and standards related activities.
Mexico	July 13, 1999	January 20, 2007	Project Annex [pdf] with CENAM for Mutual Recognition of Measurement Capabilities.
The Netherlands	August 10, 1999	October 17, 2004	Memorandum of Cooperation with The Netherlands Measurement Institute (NMi) to demonstrate intercomparison of primary gas mixtures.
The Netherlands	September 16, 1999	July 1, 2004	Declaration of Equivalence with the Netherlands Measurements Institute-NMi for primary standard gas mixture. (CSTL and TS)
Republic of South Africa	May 19, 1998	July 22, 2001	Annex with CSIR of the Republic of South Africa concerning Technical Cooperation in Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering Sciences.
Russia	August 20, 1997	August 19, 1998	Implementing Agreement with the Russian State Metrological and Certification Analytical Center (ANTECH) a unit of the Russian Committee for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (GOSSTANDART) to update the Standard Reference Database on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). (TS)
Russia	November 9, 1994	November 8, 2003	Letter of Agreement with the Institute of Experimental Meteorology SPA Typhoon to develop ocean based reference materials. (PL)
Russia	March 28, 1997	March 27, 2000	Implementing Agreement with the Institute of Crystallography of the Russian Academy of Sciences for cooperation to study neutron and X-ray reflectivity properties of the structure and mechanism of formation of Langmuir-Blodgett films.
American Institute in Taiwan/Taiwan	November 2, 1994	indefinite	Implementing Agreement with the Telecommunications Laboratories (TL) through American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) or (CCNAA) for telecommunications. (ITL)
American Institute in Taiwan/Taiwan	February 16, 2001	-	Implementing Agreement [pdf] between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office for technical cooperation on neutron scattering research.
Multilateral	September 3, 2001	January 2004	Research Cooperation Agreement [pdf] between the National Microelectronics Center of Spain, Nanotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology of Japan, and NIST.
Multilateral	May 1, 1992	-	International accord with France, UK, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany and the EC- VAMAS- for cooperation on materials science.
Multilateral	December 10, 1997	indefinite	Mutual Recognition Agreement with the Asian Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.
Multilateral	October 1, 1996	January 1, 1999	Statement of Intent with the Danish Institute of Fundamental Metrology and Hungarian National Office of Measures on intercomparison of electrolytic conductivity solutions. (CSTL)
Multilateral CIPM MRA	October 14, 1999	indefinite	Mutual Recognition Arrangement between National Metrology Institutes for recognition of National Measurement Standards and of Calibrations, and Measurement Certificates.
Multilateral	October 5, 1999	October 4, 2004	Implementing Arrangement with the European Commission for Cooperation in the fields of Metrology and Measurement Standards.
Multilateral	November 2, 2000	-	Mutual Recognition Arrangement [pdf] with the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) to enhance trade.
Regional	October 31, 1997	-	Memorandum of Cooperation [pdf] between the Inter-American Metrology System (SIM) and the Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) to cover the fields of international and regional metrology and metrology related activities.
Regional	September 10, 1999	September 9, 2004	Memorandum of Arrangement with NORAMET on Calibration and Measurement Certificates of NMi's.

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