VNIIFTRI was founded on February 18, 1955 by the Decree of the USSR Council of Ministers No. 1063-P on the base of the Central scientific research office of unified time service, CNII (Central Scientific Research Institute) for radio technical measurements and CNII for physical-technical measurements

VNIIFTRI is a National Metrology Institute, subordinated to the Federal Agency of Technical Regulation and Metrology, and it functions as the State Scientific Metrology Center in accordance with the law. In 1994 the Institute was granted a status of the State Research Center of the Russian Federation.

VNIIFTRI is the Main Metrology Center of Time and Frequency State Service and the Determination of the Earths Rotation Parameters. The Institute of Metrology for Time and Space, a structural division of VNIIFTRI, acts as the Center and supports scientific, procedural and operational provision of the functioning of Time and Frequency State Service.

VNIIFTRI employs 23 doctors and 133 candidates of physical and technical sciences, 10 professors, 12 members and 21 corresponding members of the Academy of Metrology, 10 State Prize laureates and 16 RF Government Prize laureates.

State research metrology center VNIIFTRI keeps and operates 30 National Standards, 15 Reference Standards, 17 Highest precision measurement facilities and more than 120 Working Standards and calibration setups.

• Federal State Unitary Enterprise (FSUE) "National Research Institute for Physicotechnical and Radio Engineering Measurements"

• All-Union Scientific Research Institute for Physical-Technical and Radiotechnical Measurements of USSR Gosstandart