ECIMAT, the main infrastructure of the Marine Research Centre and the University of Vigo, has as one of its main missions to offer research services. For that reason, and to guarantee its effectiveness and the availability of all the resources necessary for its adequate provision, it adopted the strategic objective of implementing a quality management system based on the requirements of the international ISO 9001 standard, and which has been certified by independent entities since 2013.
Years after the initial certification, we continue to work on a user-oriented system, with a clear vocation of service and in which objectives are periodically defined as a tool to guarantee the commitment acquired for continuous improvement. All this revolves around three premises on which our Quality Policy is based:
- Excellence to always pursue the state of the art scientific level both in the development of the requested works and in their preparation and design.
- Quality to always promote the technical quality of the work, through the correct maintenance of the equipment and continuous training of the staff.
- Proximity to meet the needs of users through intense and constant communication, and ensure the monitoring of their satisfaction with the performance of the organization.
In order to strengthen this position, the management made the strategic decision to certify the implementation of the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 in the activities of:
- Use of facilities for marine research activities.
- Rearing and supply of marine organisms.
- Support to research activities in the marine environment.
- Environmental sampling in the marine environment.
- Laboratory and field determination of physico-chemical parameters in waters.
- Bioassays for the ecotoxicological characterization of chemical compounds and environmental samples.
- Histological processing of tissue samples from aquatic organisms.
This fact, made us deserve the distinction granted by the University of Vigo, through its Quality Area, as recognition for achieving and maintaining the maximum quality quotas in management, teaching and research, considered by the institution as a priority objective.