CABUREK IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

BACKGROUND:

“CABUREK” (“Capacity Building in Technical and Scientific Organizations Using Regional Experiences and Knowledge”) is an instrument developed and implemented in cooperation between SIM, OAS and PTB. In its first two program cycles (2009-2014), the instrument was known as “NMI-Metrology User Relations” and aimed at enhancing competitiveness and innovation through the strengthening of the NMI’s relations with metrology users and a wider, better and more efficient use of the capabilities of the NMIs in Latin America and the Caribbean by industry, commerce, regulators and other users. The key principles of the instrument are the following: Full responsibility of each NMI to identify, design and implement its own 2-year project(s) with periodic work plans and reports about activities and outcomes. Provision of support to the committed countries through workshops for face-to-face exchange of experiences (every ~6 months, 5 workshops in total) as well as for planning, implementation and monitoring of their project(s), specific inputs and trainings, coaching, the provision of guides and web-sessions. Project participants form thematic working groups, where they receive coaching and input from experts, exchange experiences and learn from each other in order to use the existing regional experience and knowledge for their national projects.

SCHEDULE AND NEXT STEPS:

Program term: January 2016 – first trimester 2018 Binding registration: 15 February 2016 (including application for specific Working Groups and identification of participants) Kick-off Workshop: 19 - 21 April 2016 in CENAM (Querétaro, Mexico)

WORKING GROUPS:

During a workshop in the framework of the SIM Week 2015, attending NMI directors and representatives decided on the topics for the Working Groups of the third program cycle (2016-2018): 1. NMI Strategy - Two Subgroups: 1a English-speaking and 1b Spanish-speaking 2. Development of a Regional Training Offer in Metrology English-speaking 3. Metrology and Health - English- and Spanish-speaking (with translation services)

1) NMI Strategy

The elaboration of a Strategy is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities and focus energy and resources in order to set and achieve institutional goals. Strategy typically involves two major processes: formulation and implementation. Formulation involves analyzing the environment or situation, making a diagnosis that defines the challenge, and developing guiding policies for dealing with the challenge. Implementation refers to the coherent actions designed to achieve the goals established by the guiding policy. This working group may concern a NMI strategy and/or a national strategy for the whole Quality Infrastructure in the country. In the case for a NMI, strategic planning includes for example defining the direction, analysing demands, allocate resources to achieve pre-defined goals and form strategic alliances. In the case of a comprehensive Quality Infrastructure-Strategy, other actors such as regulators, accreditation and certification bodies and standard organizations should be closely involved. The focus will be a joint decision of the members of the working group. Product: NMI Strategy and/or countrywide Quality Infrastructure Strategy. Participant profile: NMI Director or high-level executive closely involved in strategic planning of the NMI. Please note: Due to the high interest in this working group, there will be two subgroups, one English- and one Spanish-speaking.

2) Development of a regional training offer in metrology

This working group aims at cooperating regionally to establish a training offer in metrology for the industry/e.g. the users of the NMI services. The working group will focus on the framework of the training offer, analyse demands in the region, elaborate a course syllabus and assess and plan the qualification of potential instructors. Topics such as “Basic metrology”, “Mass”, “Temperature” or “Legal metrology” could be subject to a course. The objective is that each NMI can offer a complete syllabus by complementing gaps using the competence of other Institutes in the region, thus transferring knowledge between NMIs and jointly developing capacities. Product: Regional training offer in Metrology based on national capacities. Participant profile: Responsible for training within the NMI. Please note: Due to the high interest from Caribbean Institutes, this working group will be English-speaking and cooperate with CROSQ.

3) Metrology and Health

The objective of the working group is to develop a new service in the area of health. This includes also awareness raising, training and regulation issues. A functioning quality infrastructure is particularly relevant for three thematic areas of the health sector:  Drugs: Manufacturers of drugs and the control laboratories of the regulatory authorities must work with calibrated and validated instruments and need to compare the ingredients of a medicine with certified reference materials. Important international standards in the manufacture and testing of drugs are Goof Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ISO standards and guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). Medical laboratories. Test and analysis methods in medical labs form the basis of diagnosis and treatment in the health sector. Services include the clear identification of the patient, taking samples and their transportation, preparation of samples for analysis and their validation and evaluation. ISO 15189 describes the specific requirements for medical labs. Medical equipment. Only equipment conform to internationally accepted standards can deliver reliable results. This requires legislation at the national level and a quality management system in the medical facilities. Medical devices such as blood pressure meters, thermometers, or X-ray equipment must be calibrated, traceable to international norms and operated by trained staff. Product: New NMI service in the area of Health. Participant profile: Responsible for health/medical laboratories within the NMI. Please note: This group will work both in English and Spanish, supported by translation services. View the Kick-Off Meeting of the CABUREK Project at CENAM in Mexico