CTCB

What CTCB does

CTCB is a French not-for-profit association (association loi 1901) headquartered in Toulouse that delivers External Quality Assessments (EEQ) and continuing professional development for medical biology laboratories (LBMs) across France. Its core offering is the MyCTCB member portal, which distributes 80+ EEQ technical programs spanning hematology, microbiology, molecular biology, serology, immunology, biochemistry, parasitology, and cytology, alongside a companion virtual microscopy platform used for slide-based competency training in cytology and hematology. CTCB was the first French organization accredited by COFRAC under ISO/IEC 17043 (Accreditation No. 1-2178) for EEQ provision in medical biology, and it operates as a DPC-registered organism (No. 7832), which makes its training programs eligible for mandatory continuing professional development funding for French laboratory professionals.

The association's business model is a hybrid of recurring membership/EEQ subscriptions and per-session training fees. Member laboratories subscribe annually to access EEQ programs, results interpretation, and longitudinal performance benchmarking, while training is priced on a per-participant basis ranging from 280€ to 750€ TTC depending on session length and format (in-person at Toulouse or remote via Webex). The platform integrates an annual synthesis CSV export with cross-referencing features structured to be compatible with downstream AI tooling. Operations are certified under ISO 9001 for training activities, hold RNQ/Qualiopi quality certification, and the association is GDPR-compliant with an appointed Data Protection Officer. Governance is association-based, supported by an active Scientific Board, with named operational leadership including Aurélie Verseillie as Training Manager and Stéphanie Albarede handling data protection responsibilities.

Name

CTCB

Legal name

CTCB - Centre Toulousain pour le Contrôle de qualité en Biologie clinique

Website

https://ctcb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CTCB is a French non-profit association based in Toulouse that provides COFRAC-accredited External Quality Assessments and DPC-certified continuing education for medical biology laboratories across France, via its MyCTCB portal and virtual microscopy platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Quality Assessment Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Quality Systems, Accreditation & Proficiency Testing Programs (HLAJAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clinical Quality Assurance (GCP QA, TMF/QMS oversight) (HLAGAKAI), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)

Keywords

• External quality assessment
• Medical biology accreditation
• Proficiency testing programs
• Continuing medical education
• Laboratory quality control

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. EEQ Program Membership Fees: CTCB operates as an association providing External Quality Assessments (EEQ) to medical biology laboratories. Laboratories enroll as members to participate in EEQ programs covering multiple clinical biology domains. The organization is accredited under ISO/CEI 17043 by COFRAC.
2. Continuing Education / Training Services: CTCB offers fee-based training sessions (presential and remote via Webex) to medical biologists and laboratory technicians. Training sessions range from 3 to 14 hours. Pricing varies per course (280€–700€ TTC per participant). The organization holds ODPC certification and DPC approval for validated training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CTCB (Centre Toulousain pour le Contrôle de qualité en Biologie clinique) is a French association providing COFRAC-accredited External Quality Assessments (EEQ / interlaboratory comparisons) under ISO/CEI 17043 to medical biology laboratories across 80+ program categories. It complements these EEQ services with DPC-validated continuing education (training sessions on quality management, ISO 15189, cytology, hematology, metrology) delivered in-person and via Cisco Webex, supported by a virtual microscopy platform and the MyCTCB member extranet portal.

Product overview

CTCB operates as a quality control organization for clinical biology providing a unified platform of products and services. The core offerings consist of MyCTCB (the member extranet portal) and EEQ Programs (accredited external quality assessments covering over 80 test categories including clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, serology, and cytology). Supporting services include Virtual Microscopy for digital slide-based training and proficiency assessment, Continuous Training Programs (Formation Continue) for laboratory professionals, and Technical Documentation including coding tables and external resource links. The portfolio also encompasses specialized modules for annual data synthesis and survey planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EEQ Programs (Evaluations Externes de la Qualité) Accredited External Quality Assessment (interlaboratory comparison) programs covering over 80 test categories including clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, serology, and cytology. Sold to medical biology laboratories that need to comply with ISO 15189 and COFRAC accreditation requirements. Statistical performance evaluation per NF ISO 13528.
• MyCTCB Member Portal (Extranet) Web-based member portal providing EEQ program enrollment, results management, annual notation synthesis exports, EEQ survey planning tools, training registration, and technical documentation access for member laboratories.
• Annual Notation Synthesis Export Module New module on the MyCTCB member platform allowing laboratories to export annual EEQ results in CSV format for advanced pivot-table analysis and AI tool integration.
• EEQ Survey Planning Module Redesigned planning module on MyCTCB providing a modern calendar interface for EEQ survey scheduling, with PDF/Excel export, advanced filtering, and direct calendar integration.
• Virtual Microscopy Platform Digital slide viewing platform for cytology, hematology, liquid cytology, and parasitology training and proficiency assessment, enabling remote microscope navigation on digitized specimens.
• Continuous Training Programs (Formation Continue) DPC-validated and ODPC-certified continuing education courses for medical biologists and laboratory technicians covering quality management, ISO 15189 v2022, metrology, cytology, hemostasis, parasitology, risk management, and laboratory management. Sessions range from 3 to 14 hours, priced 280€-700€ TTC per participant, delivered in-person and via Cisco Webex.

Quantifiable outcome

• 382 trainees trained across 51 sessions in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Biologie ProspectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTCB collaborates with Biologie Prospective in the context of mutualized EEQ programs (EEQs mutualisées). Data processing responsibilities may be shared between CTCB and Biologie Prospective for laboratories enrolled in joint programs. This mutualized approach allows smaller laboratories to participate in EEQ programs under the joint governance of both organizations.
• FAEEQ (Fédération des Associations Organisatrices d'Evaluations Externes de la Qualité)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCTCB is affiliated with FAEEQ, the federation of organizations running external quality assessments. FAEEQ publishes recommended acceptable limits for EEQ performance criteria that CTCB references in its statistical evaluation plans. FAEEQ defines industry standards and acceptable performance limits for external quality assessments in French medical biology.
• COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation)coreOthersCOFRAC is the French national accreditation body. CTCB holds COFRAC accreditation No. 1-2178 under ISO/CEI 17043 and operates under COFRAC's accreditation rules for interlaboratory comparisons. COFRAC's accreditation scope is publicly available on www.cofrac.fr (organism No. 12085867).
• AsqualabminorOthersListed as an external link on CTCB's resources page. Asqualab is a French organization related to quality in medical biology. No specific co-developed programs described.
• ANSM (CNQ) - Agence Nationale de Sécurité du MédicamentminorOthersListed as an external link on CTCB's resources page. ANSM is the French national agency for medicines and health products safety. No specific co-developed programs described.
• Westgard QCminorOthersListed as an external link on CTCB's resources page. Westgard QC is a widely referenced resource for quality control rules and statistical methods in laboratory medicine. CTCB references Westgard rules in its training on quality control management (CIQ/EEQ).
• HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé)minorOthersListed as an external link on CTCB's resources page. HAS publishes recommendations for good practice that CTCB references in its training programs for clinical performance specifications and quality management.
• Association de Biologie PraticienneminorOthersListed as an external link on CTCB's resources page. Professional association for practicing biologists in France.
• ProBioQualminorOthersListed as an external link on CTCB's resources page. Organization related to professional development and quality in biology. No specific co-developed programs described.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• QualiSil: French structure operating EQA and continuing education programs in clinical biology. Directly comparable to CTCB in domain, customer segment (French medical biology labs), and COFRAC/ISO 15189 regulatory alignment.
• Biologie Prospective: French association running mutualized EEQ programs jointly with CTCB. Directly comparable: same EQA scope in clinical biology, same French LBM subscribers, and Co-developer/governance partner on joint EEQ campaigns.
• ProBioQual: French organization focused on professional development and quality in medical biology. Closely comparable to CTCB given overlapping customer base of French LBMs and shared focus on continuing education and quality programs.
• Asqualab: French association organizing external quality assessments in medical biology. Directly comparable to CTCB — same EQA domain, same French LBM customer base, same ISO 15189 / COFRAC-aligned regulatory context. Listed on CTCB's own resources page as a peer organization.

Regional players

• INSTAND e.V. German non-profit society that runs external proficiency testing schemes across medical laboratory disciplines. Comparable to CTCB in scope (EQA, ISO/IEC 17043-aligned) and non-profit structure, but operating primarily in Germany/Europe rather than France.
• UK NEQAS: UK-based external quality assessment service covering the full range of medical laboratory disciplines. Comparable to CTCB as a leading EQA provider with ISO 17043 accreditation, but serving UK/anglophone laboratories rather than French LBMs.

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Global life science tools leader whose Unity EQAS program offers multi-country external quality assessment in medical biology. Comparable to CTCB as a competing EQA provider, but at significantly broader scale, with much larger geography and bundled with the IVD reagents business.
• Randox (RIQAS): Randox's RIQAS program is one of the largest international EQA schemes, spanning clinical chemistry, hematology, immunology and more. Comparable to CTCB's EEQ offering, but much larger scale and globally distributed subscribers.

Others

• FAEEQ: Fédération des Associations Organisatrices d'Evaluations Externes de la Qualité — the federation that aggregates French EQA-organizing associations including CTCB. Comparable as the umbrella industry body that defines performance limits CTCB uses and channels referrals; not a direct competitor but a closely coupled ecosystem partner.

Emerging players

• OneWorld Accuracy: Canadian EQA provider offering global proficiency testing programs in clinical and analytical laboratory medicine. Comparable to CTCB in EQA focus, but with broader geographic reach and a privately-held growth orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ctcb

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CTCB