World Metrology Day is celebrated around the world every year with different themes and events, and this year the theme is "Measurement for Health". This theme was chosen to raise awareness about the important role that measurement plays in health and therefore in the well-being of each and every one of us.

Although this year's celebrations, like last year's, were overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of metrology in testing and measurements, drug and vaccine studies, and even in preventive activities has once again become clear in this global pandemic.

With the awareness and responsibility of its role in the country's metrology system, TÜBİTAK UME, with its rich infrastructure and well-equipped staff, continues to accelerate the dynamics of the national war by developing projects in the field of health, especially in the fight against epidemics.

TÜBİTAK UME, which carries out 5 different projects within the scope of combating the pandemic, managed to complete one of them in as little as 3 months. With the project support of the Eastern Development Marmara Agency (MARKA), RNA-based diagnostic kit reference materials for the rapid and reliable diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus were produced in just 3 months and put into use with the codes UME RM 2019 and UME RM 2020.

The RNA-based Reference Materials produced will be used by all laboratories in our country in the diagnosis of the virus and can be added to kits as quality control material by our country and foreign kit manufacturers. With the infrastructure established at TÜBİTAK UME, we will be able to produce new RNA-based Reference Materials in a very short time if the virus mutates, if a test is desired to be developed in a different gene region or if a new virus emerges. Some projects for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the pandemic are also nearing completion.

The technology transfer of the Infra-Red Ear Thermometer (IRET) Reference Calibration System, also realized by TÜBİTAK UME, to Yeditepe University was realized in cooperation with TÜBİTAK Technology Transfer Office Directorate and Yeditepe University Technology Transfer Office (YUTTO) last year. In addition, our institute also supported the artificial intelligence software project that can detect COVID-19 in computerized tomography in 50 seconds, developed by Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa (IÜC) Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine and Sabancı University.

With the responsibility of its pioneering and key role in the field of health, TÜBİTAK UME continues to serve the country by producing without slowing down and to take firm steps towards the future in the light of measurements.

Aware that measurement will play a key role in the world's fight against the pandemic, we celebrate World Metrology Day with our belief in healthy days.