diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 1c93880b38ddf86cabc27a878fac6f07b55eb529..757428ea98b1edc228926daf66c82a6e272265f6 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -23,9 +23,11 @@ variables:
       - 'test-long-self-test'
       - 'ivas-conformance'
       - 'ivas-conformance-linux'
+      - 'check-float-reference'
   GIT_CLEAN_FLAGS: -ffdxq
   TESTCASE_TIMEOUT_STV_SANITIZERS: 180
   TESTCASE_TIMEOUT_LTV_SANITIZERS: 1200
+  BASOP_REFERENCE_BRANCH: "ivas-float-update"
 
 
 default:
@@ -63,6 +65,10 @@ workflow:
     - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'web' && $MANUAL_PIPELINE_TYPE == 'ivas-conformance-linux'
       variables:
         IVAS_PIPELINE_NAME: 'Draft IVAS Conformance test -- Linux: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH'        
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'trigger'
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'web' && $MANUAL_PIPELINE_TYPE == 'check-float-reference'
+      variables:
+        IVAS_PIPELINE_NAME: 'check-float-reference: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH'
     
 
 stages:
@@ -257,6 +263,8 @@ stages:
       when: never      
     - if: $MANUAL_PIPELINE_TYPE == 'ivas-conformance-linux'
       when: never      
+    - if: $MANUAL_PIPELINE_TYPE == 'check-float-reference'
+      when: never
     - when: on_success
 
 .rules-merge-request:
@@ -396,7 +404,6 @@ check-self-test-names-pre:
   script:
     - python3 ci/check_self_test_names.py scripts/config/self_test.prm 135
 
-
 branch-is-up-to-date-with-main-post:
   extends:
     - .rules-merge-request
@@ -408,6 +415,50 @@ branch-is-up-to-date-with-main-post:
     - echo $commits_behind_count
     - if [ $commits_behind_count -eq 0 ]; then exit 0; else echo "Your branch is behind main, possibly main changed during your pipeline run, run 'git merge origin/main' to update." exit 1; fi;
 
+# for merges to basop-ci-branch, run the long test suite in reference generation mode to catch problems already here and not only in the BASOP repo
+check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch:
+  extends:
+    - .test-job-linux
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'merge_request_event' && $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME == "basop-ci-branch"
+      changes:
+        - tests/**/*
+        - scripts/**/*
+        - ci/**/*
+    - if: ($CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'web' || $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'trigger') && $MANUAL_PIPELINE_TYPE == 'check-float-reference'
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'push'
+      when: never
+  tags:
+    - ivas-linux-fast
+  script:
+    - git clone -b $BASOP_REFERENCE_BRANCH https://forge.3gpp.org/rep/sa4/audio/ivas-basop.git --single-branch
+    - make -j -C ivas-basop
+    - cp ivas-basop/IVAS_cod ./IVAS_cod_ref
+    - cp ivas-basop/IVAS_dec ./IVAS_dec_ref
+    - python3 ci/remove_unsupported_testcases.py scripts/config/self_test.prm
+    - python3 tests/create_short_testvectors.py
+    - exit_code1=0
+    - exit_code2=0
+    - python3 -m pytest tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection -v --update_ref 1 -m create_ref --html=report1.html --self-contained-html --junit-xml=report-junit1.xml || exit_code1=$?
+    - python3 -m pytest tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection -v --update_ref 1 -m create_ref_part2 --html=report2.html --self-contained-html --junit-xml=report-junit2.xml || exit_code2=$?
+    - zero_errors=$(cat report-junit1.xml report-junit2.xml | grep -c 'errors="0"') || true
+    - if [ $zero_errors != 1 ]; then echo "Run errors encountered!"; exit $EXIT_CODE_FAIL; fi
+    - exit 0
+  artifacts:
+    name: "check-float-reference--sha-$CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA--results"
+    when: always
+    expire_in: 1 month
+    paths:
+      - report-junit1.xml
+      - report-junit2.xml
+      - report1.html
+      - report2.html
+    expose_as: "check-float-reference results"
+    reports:
+      junit:
+        - report-junit1.xml
+        - report-junit2.xml
+
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