Participation in the EMQN external quality assessment (EQA) schemes is on a voluntary, confidential basis. All laboratories are actively encouraged to participate in all relevant schemes. Participation in our  EQA schemes is open also to commercial manufacturers of relevant instruments and reagents, and to pharmaceutical, veterinary and other laboratories. Participation is anonymous - laboratories are identified by a code known only to the EMQN office staff.

Conditions of participation in EMQN EQA schemes are:

1. The Head of the laboratory will be responsible for registering the laboratory with the EMQN as a participant in the appropriate EQA Schemes. Any changes in the laboratory's requirements in this respect must be notified in writing to the EMQN Administrator.
2. Samples, reports and routine correspondence may be addressed to a named deputy, but correspondence from EMQN concerning poor performance or unsatisfactory return rates, will be sent directly to the Head of the laboratory.
3. EQA samples must be treated in the same way as clinical samples.
4. EQA materials are supplied under the strict condition that they are used by the registered participant laboratory for external quality assessment tests only. The materials supplied must not be used as internal controls in molecular genetic tests or for any other purpose. Participant laboratories undertake to destroy EQA materials or return them to EMQN within eight weeks of the published date of the closure of the scheme.
5. The EQA code number of the Laboratory and the assessment of individual performance is confidential to the participant and will not be released by EMQN to any third party (except in circumstances described in condition 6 below) without the written permission of the Head of the laboratory.
6. The identity of participants (name of laboratory and Head of Department) and the tests for which they are registered (but not details of performance or the EQA code number of the lab) will be shared with the curators of the Quality Assurance Database (http://www.eurogentest.org/QAuDatabase/). If a lab does not wish this information to be shared then they must notify the EMQN Executive Administrator in writing.
7. When a laboratory shows unsatisfactory performance or fails to return results, the EMQN will make contact with the participant. Advice is then offered to the Head of the laboratory by contact, usually in writing.
8. Problems relating to EQA Schemes, including complaints from participating laboratories, should be referred directly to the EMQN Executive Administrator.
9. All documents, and the data they contain, issued by the EMQN are copyright and may not be published in any form without the permission of the EMQN Management Group. 
10. The EMQN logo may not be used on partcipants' publicity materials or web sites.