Cooperation to strengthen good laboratory practice (GLP) Inspectors of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment support Costa Rica in setting up a GLP monitoring programme

From 18 to 29 August 2025, two inspectors from the GLP Federal Bureau at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) led a training course in San José, Costa Rica. The aim of the two-week course was to familiarise the 40 participants with the OECD principles of good laboratory practice (GLP), in particular how to apply and inspect them. Participants included representatives from various institutions in Costa Rica, such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the National Social Security Fund (CCSS), the National Metrology Laboratory (LACOMET), the Animal Health Service (SENASA), the State Plant Protection Service (SFE), the Costa Rican Accreditation Body (ECA), the University of Costa Rica (UCR, including various scientific institutions of the university), the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC) and the National Nanotechnology Laboratory LANOTEC-CeNAT-CONARE.

The opening speeches were given by Dr Orlando Vega Quesada, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (DVCTI), M.Sc. Silvia Argüello Vargas, Vice-Rector for Research at UNA, Dr Freddy Arias Mora, Director of the Biological Testing Laboratory (LEBi) at UCR, and professor Ana Cristina Briones (LEBi).

During the first week of the training course, inspectors from the GLP Federal Bureau deepened the participants' knowledge through joint seminars and lectures, interactive question and answer sessions, role-playing games and group discussions. The main topics were the OECD GLP principles, data integrity, archiving, and the preparation, conduct, follow-up and correction of findings of a GLP inspection. The event was accompanied by simultaneous interpretation.

In the second week, the training course continued at the LEBi of the UCR with a simulated GLP inspection. Here, the laboratory, archive and animal housing rooms of the test facility were visited, instruments and equipment were inspected, and the studies carried out there were assessed. This allowed the prospective inspectors to apply and deepen their previously acquired knowledge. The LEBi conducts non-clinical safety studies in accordance with the test guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is currently expanding its range of methods to include so-called New Approach Methods (NAM) for replacement of animal experiments, and is striving to become a GLP test facility. It also promotes research into the possible mechanisms of action of chemical, biological and biotechnological substances for human and veterinary use through biological testing.

Costa Rica has been a member of the OECD since 2021 and has close economic ties with Germany and the European Union (EU). In 2024, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the Costa Rican Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) and the UCR signed a cooperation agreement for deeper collaboration on consumer health protection. Costa Rica is currently working on establishing its own national GLP monitoring programme. GLP is a quality assurance system that deals with the organisational procedures and framework conditions under which non-clinical health and environmental safety studies are planned, conducted and monitored. It also covers the recording, archiving and reporting of the studies. In Germany, the coordination, harmonisation and review of GLP-related issues at national and international level is the responsibility of the GLP Federal Bureau at the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.