RQLab / Laboratory Quality Network
Reception MEMBers Training programmes INT. audits RESOURCES INT.docs
Your service wants to develop a quality approach and you don't know where to start? You are already working under a quality system and you want to more effectively meet the challenges of quality management?
The services committed to a quality approach are all confronted with the same types of challenges and appeal, in general, to the same tools for quality control in order to meet similar objectives.
RQLab
From these findings came the idea, in end of 2008, of establishing a "Laboratory Quality Network" (RQLab) - created and hosted by and for university services.
The RQLab is open to all university services, regardless of their field of activity, engaged - or wishing to engage - in a quality management process; and this, regardless of the quality approach intended (ISO 17025 accreditation, ISO 15189, or other; ISO 9001 certification or other; Good Laboratory Practices; ...).
Note: By "service", we designate either laboratory, centre, platform, unit, department, service, institute... The presence of the term "Laboratories" dates back to the creation of the RQLab and has survived to this day, but it is not at all limiting. Thus, we count among our members "non-laboratory" entities.
Vision - Mission - Values
Vision: Become the reference for Liège university laboratories for quality management systems
Mission: Assist members by providing them with support, tools, advice, and exchanges in best practices
Values: Quality, competence, performance, confidence, security, and well-being
In particular, the RQLab proposes:
- to form and organise a "centre of gravity" for university services engaged in quality,
- to inform, guide and mentor services wishing to engage in a quality approach
- to guarantee training programmes related to quality systems, quality management, quality standards, as well as other, more technical subjects as requested by members,
- to suggest a panel of qualified auditors for the performance of internal audits.
In pursuit of these objectives, the pooling of information and resources is one of the fundamental principles of the RQLab.
Functioning
Each membership is on a voluntary basis and participation is free.
The animation of the RQLab depends entirely on the spontaneous presence of its members in meetings. These are organised according to needs. Members of the RQLab thus meet a few times per year.
The variety of covered topics is as wide as the participants so wish. The idea is to take advantage of our regular meetings to discuss - in the form of round tables - different difficulties on a daily basis. Thus, in addition to the meeting's agenda, these encounters are above all the opportunity to share experiences, raise questions, and get to know better the other ULiège quality actors.
Other workstreams
Various approaches and reflections are initiated by the RQLab-ULiège:
- audits
- training programmes
- quarterly meetings
- help in implementing quality systems
- calibration of measuring equipment
- in-laboratory risk management (with the help of the SUPHT)
- relations with BELAC (Belgian accreditation body)
