The Instituto Argentino de Normalizaci¨®n y Certificaci¨®n (IRAM) is a private non-profit body. Founded in 1935, it became a legal entity in 1937 and was shortly afterwards granted recognition by the Government as the Central Organization for the technical and scientific study of standards, with the object of developing and maintaining uniformity of systems and criteria.

The present relationship between the Government and IRAM is defined in Presidential Decree 1474/94, approved in August 1994, which establishes the National System for Standards, Quality and Certification. The System consists of a National Council, the Argentine Accreditation Body (OAA) and the Argentine Standardization Body (IRAM). On 2 February 1995, IRAM signed an agreement with the Secretariat of Industry, which contains rights and obligations for both parties. 

IRAM represents the Argentine Republic in ISO, IEC, together with AEA (Argentine Electrotechnical Association), COPANT (Pan American Standards Commission) and AMN (Asociaci¨®n Mercosur de Normalizaci¨®n). In close collaboration with Government, industry, consumers, technology and research it studies technical standards, which (when approved) are applied at national level on a voluntary basis - unless otherwise decided by a government authority, especially in the case of health and safety standards. IRAM prepares the national positions before the respective technical committees of ISO and IEC (together with AEA).

The main activities of IRAM are: standardization; certification of products, processes and services; certification of management systems; education and training courses; and running the Information Centre.