^{14 December 2021}

RISE has been awarded official ISO9001 certification of the research platforms and laboratories in Fiji and Indonesia.

Certification acknowledges that RISE’s research platforms and operations in Fiji and Indonesia - which were set up from scratch when the program commenced in 2018 - as well as central governance and data management systems, meet the highest quality standards.

RISE’s laboratory operations at Fiji National University and Hasanuddin University - as good as any in the respective regions - are capable of undertaking a wide range of human and environmental specimen analyses to identify harmful pathogens and markers of antimicrobial resistance.

RISE Program Director Professor Rebekah Brown says certification demonstrates the program’s commitment to building fair and responsible research partnerships with universities and other partners in the Indo-Pacific for lasting benefit. ‘Our unequivocal commitment to building human and institutional research capabilities in the countries and communities in which we engage is key to achieving sustainable impact,’ Professor Brown says.

‘ISO9001 certification positions these laboratories and platforms as leaders in the region for planetary health research’.

ISO9001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system. RISE uses the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently deliver research across multiple sites, and provide products and services that meet quality standards demanded of the randomised controlled trial.

Professor Brown thanks the Wellcome Trust, who provides core funding for the research components of RISE.

‘We are immensely grateful for the generous funding from the Wellcome Trust, which has helped RISE to receive this certification. Their support, and that of the RISE consortium, enables us to deliver world-leading research as a pioneering planetary health program’.

^{Andi Zulkifli AS and Maghfira Saifuddaolah at the RISE laboratory at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.}

^{Cover image: Vinaina Waqa, Autiko Tela, Silvia Rosova Vilsoni and Revoni Vamosi at the RISE laboratory at Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.}