The subject of the master s dissertation reflects the priorities of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro s Graduate Program in Metrology for Quality and Innovation, particularly its research line Business, Innovation and Metrology. The research has two objectives: (i) to identify the mechanisms through which metrology contribute to innovation and (ii) to characterize the role of innovationbenefited users in the very innovation process. The methodology employed comprises a literature review of the topic and development of a case study in the Brazilian subway-railway transportation and equipment industry. An intentional sample was formed by R and D professionals of the major passenger and freight railway Brazilian concessionaire firms. The work is developed in the context of the growing role of innovation as a strategic component of business competitiveness and of innovation as one of the pillars of the country s Foreign Trade and Industrial and Technology Policy (PITCE), and its successor Productive Development Policy (PDP), launched in May 2008. The research project results analyze: (i) the type of innovation encouraged by the subway-railway industry and (ii) the conformity of innovative projects in the industry with norms issued by the National Standards Committee ABNT/CB-06 - Subway-railway of the Brazilian Technical Standards Association (ABNT), and then (iii) assesses the role of metrology and of innovation users in the very innovation process. The conclusions highlight that the subway-railway industry adopts a conservative approach in the selection of innovation projects and that the practice of user- induced innovation is not yet fully diffused, in spite of the high level of user access to project and product development specifications. Furthermore, the work allowed us to conclude that, in the case of the subway-railway industry, technical norms and regulations promote and orient the innovation process.