The evaluation report Triangular cooperation in German development cooperation has been published. In this report, special mention is made of PTB’s five successful cooperation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was not without good reason that triangular cooperation projects have been increasingly moving into the focus in International Cooperation since 2011. The…
We received an unanticipated assignment from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung) to help ensure the effectiveness of the face masks that are being used to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia. Okay, we aren’t testing masks ourselves, but we are supporting the expansion of testing at…
Our dear colleague Paul Michael Date is now retiring. We wish him all the best for the future and would also like to express our sincere gratitude to him. For over ten years we have worked with Paul in his capacity as the Head of Scientific Metrology of the Ghana Standards Authority, and we continue…
The African Union Commission and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are hosting a special workshop on promoting local manufacturing of personal protective equipment. Date: Thursday, 3 September 2020 Time: 1.00-4.30 p.m. Eastern Africa Time Register and connect to the workshop through this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q–PI60nQWamHnxe_CNPwg Here you can find the announcement in English,…
What does the spread of COVID-19 mean for PTB’s International Cooperation Department and what challenges do we have to face? Effective immediately, the International Cooperation Department will be providing answers to these questions on a specially designed website: www.covid19.ptb.de. The ongoing spread of Sars-CoV-2 has left its mark throughout the world. The social and economic…
Measuring the Impact of Quality Infrastructure “The screen is yours…” At other times, the introduction of a speaker at a global conference would be very different. But in these times of COVID-19, we have to get creative – which is exactly what the Innovation Growth Lab did in transforming its Global Conference 2020 into a…
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that health systems in many countries – developed and developing – were not prepared for such a crisis. Since 2005, several organisations have warned about the consequences of pandemics, issuing recommendations to prepare for critical health situations (WHO 2005, World Economic Forum 2006). However, in many countries few of these recommendations…
How can we prevent the spread of Covid-19 — especially in crowded places where people are queueing while they wait to buy chai, dhal curry or other food? This challenge moved health authorities in Sri Lanka to join forces with local business support organizations and international partners. In June and July, PTB’s partner organizations, the…
What are the proper procedures for face masks? It is essential to use face masks properly in order to achieve the greatest possible protection. Wash hands thoroughly, at least 20-30 seconds and with soap before putting on the face mask. When putting on the face mask, make sure that the nose and mouth areas including…
PTB’s droplet digital PCR has what it takes to become a reference method to monitor the quality of medical analytical laboratories. Scientists of the Berlin Institute of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have adapted the innovative method of droplet digital PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 and have applied it successfully within the scope of an international…