Armenian government plans to support international accreditation of laboratories

Testing laboratories operating in Armenia may soon receive state support to obtain international accreditation or expand the scope of their existing international accreditation. To this end, the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia has drafted a government decision introducing a partial reimbursement scheme for related expenses.

Under the proposed program, beneficiaries would be eligible for reimbursement of up to 70% of actual costs, capped at AMD 5 million ($13,755) for obtaining international accreditation and AMD 2 million for expanding the scope of an existing accreditation.

The cost of international accreditation services can reach €16,000, prompting the Armenian government to introduce partial reimbursement measures. According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, a full international accreditation cycle for a small testing laboratory costs around €10,000 on average, while in some cases expenses may range between €13,500 and €16,000. Meanwhile, the cost of expanding the scope of an existing accreditation is estimated at approximately €6,000, excluding additional logistical expenses. The government therefore proposes reimbursing up to 70% of eligible costs in order to encourage internationally recognized testing activities within Armenia.

According to the draft, the initiative is intended to promote internationally recognized laboratory services compliant with the ISO/IEC 17025 standard and strengthen Armenia’s national conformity assessment infrastructure.

The proposal comes at a particularly important time, following the decision of the Council of the European Union to adopt temporary trade liberalisation measures for Armenian goods. According to published information, the preferential regime will cover around 80% of Armenia’s exports to the EU and will remain in force for two years.

Experts note that broader access to European markets requires internationally recognized testing and certification procedures. Expanding the network of accredited laboratories in Armenia would help reduce reliance on foreign testing facilities, lower exporters’ costs, and accelerate product compliance assessment procedures for international markets.