The Coordination of laboratory surveillance activities such as External Quality Assurance schemes (EQAs) and training, have been outsourced. A consortium of European laboratory experts, mainly coming from national reference laboratories, has been set up to work together on these topics in collaboration with the vaccine preventable diseases group from surveillance unit of the ECDC.

ECDC concluded a framework contract with the University of Würzburg, Germany together with a group of scientific experts in the field of invasive meningococcal, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumonia diseases for improving capacities for the laboratory surveillance on IBD.

The consortium offers a combination of laboratory expertise and management and ensures the application and the harmonization of appropriate and updated laboratory techniques for invasive bacterial diseases in Member States.

The contract is concluded for a period of 2 years and may be renewed for a period of 1 year, entered into force since September 2008 and it is linked with specific contracts which are renewed yearly.