In 1971, the Reference Institute for Bioanalytics (RfB) was founded. During the decades that followed, laboratory medicine underwent fundamental transformation. Analytical methods became more sophisticated, laboratory equipment more advanced, data volumes increased dramatically, and regulatory requirements continued to evolve. Yet despite all technological progress, one central question has remained unchanged:
Is the result correct?
For 55 years, RfB has been dedicated to helping laboratories answer this question with confidence. Through external quality assessment and proficiency testing, the institute supports laboratories in demonstrating and continuously improving the quality of their analytical results. Ring trial after ring trial, RfB has contributed to creating the basis for reliable diagnostics, patient safety, compliance with quality standards, and successful accreditation processes.
A Constant Mission in a Changing World
The field of laboratory medicine has changed significantly since RfB was established. New technologies, increasing automation, digital transformation, and scientific advances have reshaped diagnostic processes. Alongside these developments, the demand for quality assurance has become more important than ever.
Reliable laboratory results are essential for modern healthcare. Clinical decisions, diagnoses, treatment plans, and patient monitoring depend on accurate and comparable analytical data. Quality assurance ensures that healthcare professionals can trust the results upon which critical medical decisions are based.
Over the course of 55 years, RfB has worked together with participating laboratories to strengthen this trust. What started as quality assessment activities developed into an infrastructure that supports patient safety, compliance with the German Rili-BÄK requirements, accreditation procedures, and the daily work of laboratories.
Quality Assurance as a Foundation for Patient Safety
Quality assurance is not merely a regulatory requirement. It is a fundamental element of reliable healthcare.
Through external quality assessment programs and ring trials, laboratories can objectively evaluate and verify their analytical performance. This continuous process contributes to maintaining high standards, identifying opportunities for improvement, and ensuring that laboratory results remain dependable over time.
The impact extends far beyond the laboratory itself. Reliable analytical results help healthcare professionals make informed decisions and ultimately contribute to improved patient care and patient safety.
From Germany to International Collaboration
What began in Germany in 1971 has expanded well beyond national borders. Today, RfB’s commitment to quality assurance reaches international partners and healthcare systems around the world.
One example of this international engagement is the collaboration with health ministries in East Africa. Together with local partners, RfB works to establish sustainable quality infrastructures and strengthen laboratory quality systems. The goal is to support reliable diagnostics even in environments where resources may be limited, while ensuring that external quality assessment remains practical and effective.
Reliable laboratory results should not depend on where in the world they are produced.
By sharing expertise and supporting quality infrastructure development, RfB contributes to improving diagnostic quality on an international scale.
EQA Made in Germany Since 1971
For more than five decades, RfB has stood for expertise, continuity, and commitment to quality assurance in laboratory medicine. Throughout this journey, the organization has focused on one objective: helping laboratories achieve reliable and comparable analytical results.
The anniversary celebrates not only a history of quality assurance but also the partnerships that have been built with laboratories, healthcare professionals, institutions, and international collaborators over the years.
EQA made in Germany since 1971 has become a reflection of this long-standing commitment to quality, scientific expertise, and international cooperation.
Looking Ahead: Quality Assurance Until 2030 and Beyond
An anniversary is an opportunity not only to look back but also to look forward.
Laboratory medicine continues to evolve rapidly. New analytical technologies, increasing automation, digitization, and changing regulatory landscapes will continue to shape the future of diagnostics and quality assurance.
As part of its 55th anniversary, RfB therefore raises an important question:
What challenges must quality assurance solve by 2030?
Addressing these future challenges will require collaboration, innovation, and continued commitment from laboratories, healthcare organizations, regulators, and quality assurance experts. The discussion about the future of quality assurance is therefore an essential part of the anniversary year.
55 Years of Experience. Quality for the Diagnostics of Tomorrow.
Today, RfB celebrates 55 years of supporting reliable diagnostics through quality assurance. From its foundation in 1971 to its international activities today, the institute has remained committed to helping laboratories demonstrate and improve the quality of their analytical performance.
As diagnostic technologies continue to advance, RfB remains focused on the same fundamental question that has guided its work since the beginning:
Is the result correct?
55 years of experience. Quality for the diagnostics of tomorrow
