Midwest Research Institute’s Pursuit of Excellence Garners a Third ISO Certification
Kansas City MO and Palm Bay, FL - The Florida Division of Midwest Research Institute (MRI), a Kansas City based not-for-profit scientific research organization with more than 60 years of experience in scientific research and development, has been awarded certification for both ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and FQS-I Forensic Requirements for Accreditation (FRA-I) in the area of forensic biology from Forensic Quality Services-International (FQS-I) a certification body for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 certification is the standard most often used by the forensic industry because the standards in this ISO category apply more directly to the type of activities performed by forensic service providers. ISO/IEC 17025:2005, formally known as International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories, consists of two parts, the quality management system and technical aspects:
·
The quality management system section contains policies related to
quality standards and management commitment to quality including: document and record control, preventive and corrective actions for nonconforming work, and management reviews.
·
The technical aspects section includes: personnel qualifications and ongoing training, technical procedures employed on forensic evidence and scientific validation of those procedures, physical space used for evidence storage and examination, security of records, and properly functioning equipment.
“Quality management and technical expertise are hallmarks of MRI’s rich history for excellence in scientific research,” said Roy R. Swiger, Ph.D., Director of MRI’s Florida Division. “The ISO 17025:2005 and FRA-I certification is critical for satisfying the quality requirements for our government biodefense business and assures all clients that we have the processes and discipline in place to meet international standards for quality in forensic biology testing and reporting.”
MRI’s Florida Division is located in
Palm Bay, southeast of
Orlando, between
Florida’s rapidly expanding
Lake
Nona and West Palm biotech corridors. The Florida Division campus consists of three state-of-the art facilities with more than $7 million in advanced instrumentation. The facilities offer some of the most advanced technology available today in the fields of molecular biology, microbiology diagnostics, and biotechnology.
“Attainment of this ISO certification is one component of our push on as many as four diverse quality standards that range from preparations of molecular and microbial standard reference materials to human identification and clinical diagnostics,” Swiger added. MRI-Florida Division is also pursuing ISO-34:2000 certification for meeting standards in requirements established for the competence of reference material providers.
In addition to the recent Florida Division certification, MRI’s Midwest Operations in Kansas City, Mo., and the Mid-Atlantic Operations in Rockville, Md., are certified under ISO 9001:2000, an international standard promoting the process approach in the development, implementation, and improvement of the effectiveness of its quality management systems to enhance client satisfaction by meeting or exceeding client requirements as well as ensuring conformity to applicable regulatory and statutory requirements.
About Midwest Research Institute
MRI, a not-for-profit scientific research organization with 1,800 employees nationwide, performs contract research and laboratory consulting services for clients in government, industry, and academia. Established in 1944, MRI is one of the nation’s leading independent research institutes conducting research in the areas of national security and defense, energy and environment, life sciences, food and agriculture, and transportation safety. With headquarters in
Kansas City
, MRI also has facilities in
Palm Bay
,
Fla.
,
Frederick
,
Md.
, and
Rockville
,
Md.
MRI is one of the two entities in the
Alliance
for Sustainable Energy, LLC, that manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden,
Colo.
, for the U.S. Department of Energy. For more information, visit
www.mriresearch.org
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