ILAC
Definition
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, the global network of accreditation bodies. ILAC's Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) means a result produced by an ILAC-recognised lab in one country is accepted as equivalent in any other signatory country without re-testing.
- Full name
- International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation
- Core function
- Global network of laboratory accreditation bodies
- Key mechanism
- Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for ISO 17025 certificates
- Scope
- Results from ILAC-recognized labs accepted across all signatory countries
Common questions
What is ILAC and why does it matter for forensic labs?+
ILAC is the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, a global network of bodies that accredit forensic laboratories. It matters because labs accredited under ILAC's system are recognized across countries, so their results are trusted internationally without needing re-testing.
How does ILAC's Mutual Recognition Arrangement work?+
The MRA means that when a forensic lab accredited by an ILAC member body produces a result in one country, other signatory countries automatically accept it as equivalent. This removes friction in international cases and cross-border investigations.
What's the connection between ILAC and ISO 17025?+
ISO 17025 is the standard for lab quality and competence. ILAC member bodies issue ISO 17025 certificates to labs that meet the standard, and those certificates are recognized globally through ILAC's mutual recognition arrangement.
Related terms
- Accreditation
- Formal recognition by a standards body (such as UKAS in the UK, A2LA in the US, or NABL in India) that a...
- ENFSI
- European Network of Forensic Science Institutes: the voluntary network of national forensic institutes across Europe and neighbouring regions, focused on method harmonisation,...
- INTERPOL
- International Criminal Police Organization: the intergovernmental body, headquartered in Lyon, that facilitates police cooperation across 195 member countries through databases, communications infrastructure,...
- ISO/IEC 17025
- The international standard for testing and calibration laboratories, published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. It...
- Measurement Uncertainty
- A quantitative statement of the range within which the true value of a measurement lies, at a stated confidence level (typically 95%,...
- Method Validation
- The process of demonstrating that an analytical method does what it claims: that it correctly identifies the target analyte, at what sensitivity,...
- OSAC
- Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science: established by NIST and DOJ in 2014, it develops consensus forensic standards through structured...
- Proficiency Testing
- An external quality assurance programme in which a laboratory analyses blind samples distributed by an independent provider and submits results for comparison...
- SDO
- Standards Development Organisation: a body with formal processes for publishing consensus standards. ASTM International, ANSI, and BSI are examples. OSAC submits its...
- SWG (Scientific Working Group)
- US discipline-specific committees that produced best-practice guidelines for forensic science from the 1990s onward. Most SWGs were absorbed into or superseded by...
Explained in these topics
- International Bodies: INTERPOL, ENFSI, SWGs, OSACInternational Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation: the global network of laboratory accreditation bodies whose mutual recognition arrangement means ISO 17025...
- Quality Systems: ISO 17025 and AccreditationThe International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, the global network of accreditation bodies. ILAC's Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) means a result...