We are delighted to introduce the proceedings of the “Enrico Fermi” Summer School on “New Frontiers for Metrology: From Biology and Chemistry to Quantum and Data Science”. It was held in Varenna from 4th July to 13th July, 2019 and was organised by the Italian Physical Society (SIF), the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), and the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRIM).

The school was the seventh to have been held in the “Enrico Fermi” series that has been devoted to metrology. It followed the 26th meeting of the CGPM which adopted new definitions for the base units of the SI and was a milestone in the history of measurement. The scientific basis for this historic decision was thoroughly previewed in 2016 at the previous metrology summer school. The 2019 school reviewed the decision and discussed how this new foundation for metrology is opening new possibilities for physics. Several of the lecturers reflected on how it will allow for an easier exploration of the unification of quantum mechanics and gravity by, perhaps, showing the limitation of this new and improved foundation.

The programme for the 2019 school also looked to some of the new practical challenges for measurement science. These included the application of metrological principles to the management and interpretation of very large sets of scientific data and the application of metrology to biology.

The students at the summer school all had the opportunity to present their work at a poster session. The posters were reviewed by some of the lecturers and the best were given the opportunity to prepare a short abstract for publication in this volume.

The school had a modular structure. All students attended a 3-day Core Module on the “Fundamentals of Metrology” and choose one or both of the 3-day modules on either “Metrology for the Quality of Life” or “Physical Metrology and the Fundamental Constants”.

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   Physical Metrology and Fundamental Constants (12 lectures)

   Electricity and Magnetism, Mass and related quantities, Time, Length, Photometry and Radiometry.

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   Fundamentals of Metrology (15 lectures)

   Units, Temperature, Measurement uncertainty, The global quality infrastructure.

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   Metrology for Quality of Life (11 lectures)

   Chemistry and biology, Ionising radiation, Climate and environmental studies.

As always, the success of a school is due to the dedication and effort of many people and institutions. Our special thanks go to:

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   the lecturers who prepared their lessons and manuscripts and were available to spend time with the students, to visit their posters and to discuss ideas with them,

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   the 56 students and observers who were selected from 81 applications and who created a stimulating atmosphere throughout the period of the school, and to

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   the scientific secretary, Dr Michela Sega from INRIM, who devoted a lot of her time, energy, and creativity to the success of the school.

We particularly want to thank the sponsors: UFFC, METAS, SIM, and NIST. They supported the participation of students who did not have access to sufficient funding of their own and also the best poster award which stimulated students in the clear and efficient presentation of their work.

Finally, we wish to thank Prof. Luisa Cifarelli, former SIF President, for promoting the 7th edition of a school devoted to metrology, and to Mrs Barbara Alzani and to Mrs Ramona Brigatti of the SIF for their invaluable support in the management and organisation of the school.

M.J.T. Milton, D.S. Wiersma, C.J. Williams and M. Sega