What Irish National Accreditation Board (inab) does

INAB is the national accreditation body of Ireland, established in 1985 and operating as a statutory unit within the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). Under EU Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 (effective 1 January 2010), INAB holds the exclusive mandate to accredit laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies, and other conformity assessment bodies (CABs) operating in Ireland. Its services span twelve or more accreditation schemes covering laboratory testing and calibration (ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing (ISO 15189), management systems certification (ISO 17021), product certification (ISO 17065), certification of persons (ISO 17024), inspection bodies (ISO 17020), reference material production (ISO 17034), validation and verification (ISO 14065 / ISO 17029), greenhouse gas verification (EN ISO 14065:2013), biobanking (ISO 20387), Good Laboratory Practice monitoring, and Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) competent body services.

INAB monetises accreditation through annually reviewed fees based on assessment effort (number of assessors and on-site time), with VAT applied at 23%, and an annual maintenance fee for accredited organisations. The accreditation cycle from application to award can take up to 18 months. Operations are supported by an Azure-hosted Customer Relationship Management portal that manages applications, document uploads, assessment scheduling, nonconformity tracking, and assessor expense claims. Customers interact directly through this portal, and accreditation awards are published in a public INAB Directory.

Internationally, INAB is a member of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). These memberships underpin multi-lateral recognition agreements (EA MLA, ILAC MRA, IAF MLA) that give INAB-accredited CABs automatic recognition in over 100 economies, materially increasing the value of Irish accreditation for exporters and regulated industries. INAB is governed through an Accreditation Board, Appeals Board, advisory committee, and working groups, with assessor rosters drawn from external technical experts.

Name

Irish National Accreditation Board (inab)

Legal name

Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB)

Website

https://inab.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INAB is Ireland's statutory national accreditation body, designated under EU Regulation 765/2008, providing accreditation to laboratories, certification bodies, and inspection bodies across 12+ ISO-aligned schemes. It operates within the Health and Safety Authority and enables international recognition through EA, ILAC, and IAF agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accreditation Services

NAICS

Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards, Metrology & Accreditation Bodies (BPAIAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accreditation Coordination, Recognition & Meta-Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAH)

Keywords

• Accreditation services
• Conformity assessment
• Laboratory accreditation
• Certification bodies
• Inspection bodies

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Accreditation Services: INAB charges fees for the operation of all its accreditation schemes. Fees are set annually and are subject to a yearly review. The fees incurred are based on the assessment effort including number of assessors and time on site. VAT Rate for all fees is 23%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

INAB is Ireland's designated national accreditation body that assesses and formally recognizes the competence of conformity assessment bodies (laboratories, certification bodies, inspection bodies, verification bodies, reference material producers, and biobanks) against international ISO standards. It issues accreditations, manages the application-to-award process through its CRM Portal, and enables international market access via EA, ILAC and IAF mutual recognition agreements.

Product overview

INAB is the national accreditation body for Ireland, operating as part of the Health and Safety Authority. It provides accreditation services through a portfolio of core accreditation schemes covering laboratory testing, calibration, medical testing, management systems certification, product certification, certification of persons, inspection bodies, reference material producers, validation and verification, greenhouse gas verifiers, biobanking, and Good Laboratory Practice. The organization offers a digital platform through its CRM Portal for managing accreditation workflows and maintains a public directory of all accredited bodies. INAB's services are built around international standards including ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 15189, ISO 17021, ISO 17065, ISO 17020, ISO 17024, ISO 17034, ISO 17029, and ISO 20387.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laboratory Testing Accreditation Accreditation of testing laboratories in Ireland to ISO/IEC 17025, formally recognising their technical competence to perform chemical, biological, mechanical, electrical, and environmental tests.
• Laboratory Calibration Accreditation Accreditation of calibration laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025, verifying measurement traceability and accuracy of equipment and instrument calibration services.
• Medical Testing Accreditation Accreditation of clinical and medical testing laboratories to ISO 15189, ensuring quality and competence in diagnostic testing services.
• Management Systems Certification Body Accreditation Accreditation of certification bodies to ISO/IEC 17021, formally recognising their competence to audit and certify organisational management systems.
• Product Certification Body Accreditation Accreditation of bodies that certify products against specified standards and regulations under ISO/IEC 17065.
• Certification of Persons Body Accreditation Accreditation of bodies that certify individuals against competency standards under ISO/IEC 17024, verifying professional competency.
• Inspection Body Accreditation Accreditation of inspection bodies to ISO/IEC 17020, formally recognising their competence and impartiality across industrial, transport, and regulatory compliance inspections.
• Reference Material Producer Accreditation Accreditation of producers of certified reference materials to ISO 17034, used for laboratory calibration and verification.
• Validation and Verification Body Accreditation Accreditation of validation and verification bodies assessing environmental data and claims under ISO 14065 and ISO 17029.
• Greenhouse Gas Verifier Accreditation Accreditation of greenhouse gas verification bodies to EN ISO 14065:2013 for emissions and carbon footprint verification.
• Biobanking Accreditation Accreditation of biological sample repositories and biobanking facilities to ISO 20387, addressing quality and traceability of biological samples.
• Good Laboratory Practice Compliance Monitoring Compliance monitoring programme for test facilities following OECD Principles of Good Laboratory Practice, supporting regulatory acceptance of non-clinical safety studies.
• Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Competent Body Services Competent body services for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) verification and validation activities in Ireland.

Named customers5 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Accreditation Co-operation (EA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAB is a member of EA, which formalises the relationship between EA and national accreditation bodies under Regulation (EC) 765/2008. EA signed a Framework Partnership Agreement with the European Commission establishing EA as the official European accreditation infrastructure.
• ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAB participates in ILAC, the international cooperation for laboratory and inspection body accreditation bodies, enabling mutual recognition of calibration and testing results globally.
• IAF (International Accreditation Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAB is a member of IAF, which facilitates global trade and supports the confidence that regulators, industry, and end users have in accredited certification and validation/verification statements.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle): Germany's national accreditation body and one of Europe's largest, accredited under EU Regulation 765/2008 like INAB. Operates the same portfolio of laboratory, certification, and inspection accreditation schemes and serves as a benchmark for European national accreditation infrastructure.
• UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service): UK's national accreditation body, operating under a similar statutory framework to accredit laboratories, certification bodies, and inspection bodies. Direct cross-border peer given geographic proximity and comparable service portfolio covering ISO 17025, 15189, 17021, and 17065 schemes.
• ENAC (Entidad Nacional de Acreditación): Spain's national accreditation body, designated under the same EU regulation. Offers a directly analogous portfolio covering testing, calibration, medical, certification, and inspection accreditation schemes, making it a close functional peer to INAB.
• NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia): Australia's national accreditation body for laboratories, inspection bodies, and reference material producers. Operates a comparable portfolio of accreditation services and is an ILAC MRA signatory alongside INAB, making it a relevant peer despite operating in a different jurisdiction.
• A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation): US-based non-profit accreditation body providing ISO 17025, 17043, and 17034 accreditation to testing and calibration laboratories. Functions as INAB's closest non-EU peer with comparable technical accreditation services, although operating under a private non-profit rather than statutory model.
• SWEDAC (Styrelsen för ackreditering och teknisk kontroll): Sweden's national accreditation body, designated under EU Regulation 765/2008. Offers directly analogous accreditation schemes and is a fellow EA MLA signatory, making it a closely comparable peer in size and governance model.
• COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation): France's national accreditation body designated under EU Regulation 765/2008. Provides directly comparable accreditation services across testing, calibration, medical, certification, and inspection bodies, serving as INAB's direct functional peer within the EA framework.
• ACCREDIA: Italy's national accreditation body designated under EU Regulation 765/2008. Operates the same EU-mandated accreditation portfolio as INAB and shares mutual MLA agreements, making it a directly comparable peer in scheme breadth and governance model.

Others

• EA (European co-operation for Accreditation): The umbrella organization coordinating national accreditation bodies across Europe, of which INAB is a member. Not a competitor but the network infrastructure governing MLA recognition — included as it defines the regulatory and operational framework within which INAB operates.

Broad incumbents

• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology): US federal standards and metrology body with overlapping authority on standards, calibration, and laboratory quality infrastructure. Functions as a broad incumbent in the standards-and-metrology space INAB operates in, though its mandate is wider than accreditation alone.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-irish-national-accreditation-board-inab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Irish National Accreditation Board (inab)