History of EFI

During the early 1980s, Members of the Committee agreed that it was the right time to create a more formal organisation

Formal organization

Formal organization is a fixed set of rules of intra-organization procedures and structures. As such, it is usually set out in writing, with a language of rules that ostensibly leave little discretion for interpretation...

 and from the mid-1980s it has been an official organisation. It was initiated to give scientists an opportunity to collaborate with one another, and to ensure that their findings were accurate and of a high quality.
EFI sets a series of high standards for laboratories to adhere to and works to create relationships with other organisations worldwide who carry out similar work.

Accreditation

There are now over 200 laboratories accredited by EFI. These laboratories are found not only in Europe, but also in Israel, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 and Mexico and have met the criteria that has been set out by EFI. The laboratories undergo regular inspections to ensure that they are continuing to follow the standards and that they are producing the high quality work expected.

Committees

There are various committees within EFI, including a Standards and Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...

, Accreditation, Education and Scientific. These ensure that the high standards set out by the Federation are adhered to.

Information

There are other Immunogenetic Societies worldwide. These include ASEATTA, ASHI, and BSHI.