The signatory status of Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE), Ecuador, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include Medical Testing (ISO 15189).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

We welcome Federation for Development of Accreditation Services (FDAS), India, as a Full Member of ILAC.

As FDAS is a signatory to the APAC MRA for the accreditation of testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025 and calibration laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, FDAS has been granted signatory status to the ILAC MRA and therefore, Full membership of ILAC. 

We welcome FDAS and look forward to working with our FDAS colleagues.

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available here.

EUROLAB is inviting members of the laboratory community to participate in the survey developed by EUROLAB to assess the level of digitalisation of laboratories.

As the laboratory of the future is driven by the fast-changing new technologies and by the high demands of customers, the survey aims to identify:

• the current status, updates and level of digitalisation within the laboratories.
• the needs and key challenges faced by laboratories when it comes to building up a sustainable strategy for the laboratory digitalisation.
• the next steps and topics that EUROLAB could consider to support its members and the entire laboratory community by sharing best practices, trainings, seminars, developing projects on the topics of the Lab of the Future.

Please provide your response to the survey by 15 September: https://forms.office.com/e/DmbCLVTbGg

The survey has been developed with the contribution of Kruno Miličević, coordinator of the Metroracle Project.

Any further questions please contact Laura Martin, EUROLAB Secretary General via laura.martin@eurolab.org

Cambodian Accreditation National Council- General Department of Accreditation of Cambodia (CANC-GDAC), Cambodia, is now a Full Member of ILAC. 

CANC-GDAC has become a signatory to the ILAC MRA for testing (ISO/IEC 17025).  CANC-GDAC originally joined ILAC as an Associate member on 24 July 2023 and we are now pleased to welcome CANC-GDAC as a Full Member of ILAC.

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available here.

The United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT)  is launching an e-business initiative for increased transparency in product claims using digital methods and is detailed in the White Paper on Digital Product Conformity Certificate Exchange. The paper proposes a digital framework to connect data sources for better product compliance insight.

Ensuring the reliability of product claims – such as safety, performance or sustainability – is essential for the trustworthy functioning of markets and allows consumer choice to be exercised with greater confidence. 

Product integrity is underpinned by a vast network of conformity assessment processes, operating largely out of public view and performed in accordance with agreed standards. An important data element in establishing the validity of issued certificates and attestations is the identity of the accreditation body that is a signatory of ILAC and IAF global mutual recognition arrangements.

Currently, an individual who has sought an attestation of conformity about a product may not always be in a position to determine whether the physical product they have purchased is the same as the subject of the certificate, or that the certificate remains current or that it was validly issued in the first place.  Digital linking of product data, using processes that access original data sources in real time, brings advantages over paper-based systems that might otherwise require onerous verification steps to confirm product attributes with any degree of certainty. 

The concepts presented could hold relevance for virtually every industry in the world and so fostering an inclusive stakeholder dialogue will certainly take time.  UN/CEFACT, as an intergovernmental standardisation body, is a useful forum for engaging with governments, however, direct industry engagement remains a challenge.  It is hoped that the new White Paper will help raise awareness and interest in digital assurance systems of the future, particularly within the private sector, where having regard to global supply chains, the potential productivity benefits are substantial. 

The White Paper on Digital Product Conformity Certificate Exchange is available for download at unece.org/trade/uncefact/guidance-material

We welcome Vietnam Institute of Accreditation, Vietnam, as a Full Member of ILAC.

As VACI is a signatory to the APAC MRA for the accreditation of testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025 and calibration laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, VACI has been granted signatory status to the ILAC MRA and therefore, Full membership of ILAC. 

We welcome VACI and look forward to working with our VACI colleagues.

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available here.

As a result of the recent ILAC Arrangement Council ballot, the continuation of the recognition for the Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC) as a recognised regional cooperation body of ILAC has been confirmed. The endorsed AMC recommendation is shown below:

The ILAC AMC recommends that the scope of recognition of the APAC MRA to the ILAC MRA be:

• continued for the accreditation of calibration and testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, medical testing laboratories using ISO 15189, inspection bodies using ISO/IEC 17020, proficiency testing providers using ISO/IEC 17043 and reference material producers using ISO 17034.

It is further recommended that the next re-evaluation of APAC is scheduled to begin no later than June 2025.

Information on the recognised regions including APAC to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/ilac-mra-and-signatories/recognised-regional-cooperation-bodies/

We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues from APAC.

The Cambodian Accreditation National Council-Department of Accreditation (CANC-DA), Cambodia, is welcomed as an Associate member of ILAC.

We welcome CANC-DA and look forward to working with our CANC-DA colleagues.

The JCTLM (Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine) is currently conducting a survey on information and services provided and processes used by the JCTLM, to obtain feedback on the future direction of the JCTLM activities.

The JCTLM Strategy Task Group has developed the questionnaire to inform the Committee on stakeholder opinions of, and needs for the JCTLM Database of Reference Materials, Methods and Services for in vitro diagnostics  JCTLM Database (jctlmdb.org) and invite you to take a few minutes to complete the online questionnaire to provide feedback as this will help to ensure the JCTLM continues to provide services that are aligned to stakeholder needs.

The on-line questionnaire can be found at:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JCTLMSurvey

The closing date for completing the on-line questionnaire is 30 September 2023. 

If you have any difficulties in completing the questionnaire, queries can be sent to the JCTLM Secretariat at: jctlm@bipm.org 

ILAC is a founding member of the JCTLM, together with the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). 

The signatory status of Georgian Accreditation Center – The Unified National Body of Accreditation, Georgia, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include PTP (ISO/IEC 17043).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .