The Ministry of Science and Technology (MICIT in Spanish) recently announced the tenth anniversary of the Accreditation Entity in Costa Rica (ECA), an independent public agency created in 2002 by Law number 8279, the National System for Quality Assurance.

ECA was enacted for the purpose of granting certifications and accreditation credentials to the products, services and processes created and employed by businesses and institutions in Costa Rica. ECA has granted accreditation to 81 research laboratories, eight calibration and precision instrument testing centers, 22 inspection facilities, and three certification entities. ECA is currently working on the framework for the accreditation of clinical research labs and CO2 emissions testing and detection facilities in Costa Rica.

Minister Alejandro Cruz and Vice Minister of Economy Marvin Rodriguez were among the special guests at the brief ceremony held to celebrate the ten years of ECA’s operations. Minister Cruz commented that:

“The national economy has been experiencing a positive evolution, from the production of goods and services based on our natural resources to an open industry that is integrated with global markets, with a variety of products and services for which the value-added knowledge of scientific and technology subjects becomes more important every day.”

ECA currently has 25 staff members and 170 outside collaborators.

The testing and quality assurance of products, services and processes has become a staple of globalization. The accreditation process in Costa Rica is necessary to ensure that the output of our country’s different industrial sectors meets the criteria imposed by the rest of the world in relation to economic, safety, social, and environmental standards.

Source: MICIT