100% at IPI Phytoplankton Workshop
CPR Survey Plankton Analyst, Martina, has travelled to Hilderod in Denmark this week to take part in the annual International Phytoplankton Intercomparison workshop.
This workshop is an important event for attendees from around the world to share knowledge and expertise on phytoplankton taxonomy and learn more about harmful algal events in other regions.
It forms part of the The IPI proficiency testing scheme, which is open for participation globally. This test is divided into two main competency areas and each participant must complete them both to obtain the required certification.
Martina represented the CPR Survey and scored 100% and 91.7% in the comparision tests.
What is the IPI?
The International Phytoplankton Intercomparison (IPI) is an international partnership to provide enumeration and identification quality assurance in marine phytoplankton. It was formerly part of the now concluded EU initiative Biological Effects Quality Assurance in Monitoring Programmes (BEQUALM) since 2005. The IPI did implement its intercomparison exercises through the Marine Institute Ireland in cooperation with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) through its Science and Communication Centre on Harmful Algae at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
From 2021 to September 2024, the IPI Proficiency Testing scheme in abundance and composition of marine microalgae programme moved to the Canary Islands Harmful Algal Observatory (OCHABs) in the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Spain.
The UK NE Atlantic Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control Scheme (NMBAQC) is one of our partners. They have been associated with the IPI scheme (formerly Bequalm) since the beginning in 2005 as the umbrella group for UK laboratories participating in phytoplankton intercomparison exercises under community analysis.
The IPI operates according to the ISO standards 17043 Conformity assessment-General requirements for proficiency testing and ISO13528 Statistical methods for use in proficiency testing by interlaboratory comparisons. We are currently applying for accreditation for 2017 under ISO17043 to the Irish national Accreditation Board (INAB) for the IPI to be accredited as a proficiency testing scheme. The IPI is a partnership of agencies, quality control entities and organizations with interest in phytoplankton monitoring and quality control. Partnership will allow for endorsement on IPI certificates of proficiency by national or regional partners where this will enhance the value of certificates to participants in the proficiency testing.
More information can be found on the website: https://www.iphyi.org
