The World Development Report 2025 Standards for Development (World Bank Group, 2025a) marks a significant moment for the quality infrastructure community. For the first time in a major World Bank flagship publication, quality infrastructure is not a footnote but a central argument: that standards, metrology, accreditation, and conformity assessment are the "invisible infrastructure" behind trade, investment, public health, and economic growth. This is a recognition that QI p

Is calibration a conformity assessment activity — or part of metrology? Authoritative sources contradict each other, and both are right on different levels. This post untangles the paradox and argues that the real problem is practical: where calibration disappears into the conformity assessment category, its distinct role in industry, innovation, and economic development becomes invisible to policymakers — with lasting consequences for QI investment.

After decades of scepticism, the World Bank has fundamentally revised its stance on industrial policy. For those of us working in quality infrastructure and systemic competitiveness, the implications are significant and encouraging.

If a company wishes to sell a CE-marked product in the Single market, it must demonstrate compliance with the applicable European Union (EU) harmonisation legislation — and for most product categories, that means working with harmonised technical standards. As the legislator does not wish to specify all the technical details itself, it also refers to harmonised technical standards, which companies previously had to purchase.   Until recently, this document cost the company mo

Why well-equipped, well-trained laboratories often remain underused — and what can be done about it? The new QI4D blog post addresses this question and draws on experience from Caribbean Island States. The article explores the root causes of underutilization, the barriers to regional cooperation, and four strategies to break the cycle. Read it and tell us: have you faced this problem, and how did you handle it?

Many newcomers to quality infrastructure (QI) struggle to understand the role of metrology, a key domain within the discipline. It can be challenging to grasp how metrology forms the backbone of a QI system, not only in terms of physical metrology, such as measuring weights, length, time, or temperature, but even more so when it comes to chemical metrology. Reference materials of the Designated Institute of the Philippines. Photo by Christian Schoen Metrology involves defini

Digital transformation is affecting all aspects of quality infrastructure (QI), introducing data-driven approaches that increase the visibility and reach of standardization, metrology, accreditation, and conformity assessment processes.

Introduction Quality infrastructure (QI) institutions, which initially focused primarily on technical and industrial sectors, now impact...

When the Panama Canal was inaugurated in 1914, it stood as a monument to engineering prowess and the quiet, often invisible discipline of...

A recent project scoping mission to Pakistan highlighted how busily textile and garment exporters prepare for the upcoming EU regulations affecting their sector.