DAkkS attends the 10th annual meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure

In July 2025 in New Delhi, as part of the “Global Project Quality Infrastructure” (GPQI), an initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) took part in the 10th annual meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure. The meeting marks a milestone in bilateral cooperation between Germany and India in the area of quality infrastructure.

An efficient and modern quality infrastructure constitutes the basis for promoting innovation, ensuring product safety and creating a fair and rules-based framework for international trade. Against this backdrop, the 10th annual meeting of the Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure took place on 16 July 2025 at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

The working group was jointly established in 2013 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Its goals are to reduce technical barriers to trade, improve product safety and harmonise regulatory frameworks with a view to facilitating smooth and reliable market access for companies from both countries.

The high-level meeting was attended by representatives of ministries, standardisation and accreditation bodies, industry associations and companies from both countries. In addition to DAkkS, the bodies represented included the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies in DIN and VDE (DKE), the Bureau of Indian Standards and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) were represented.

DAkkS presents approaches to the digitisation of quality infrastructure

The particular focus of this presentation was on the digital accreditation symbol, developed by DAkkS for digital, machine-readable proof of accreditation that is verifiable in real time. Representing DAkkS, advisor for national and international accreditation policy Sabine Reinkober explained how it works and its potential uses. For example, the digital accreditation symbol enables decentralised verification of accreditation directly on the certificate.

In cross-border digital chains of evidence, interoperability is a matter of particular importance. In bilateral cooperation with partners abroad, it is therefore essential to promote trustworthiness and mutual acceptance of the digital tools used.  The Bureau of Indian Standards in particular expressed a great deal of interest in the DAkkS digital accreditation symbol. The German and Indian sides are currently looking into ways to intensify cooperation.

More information on the digital accreditation symbol

Another focus of discussion was on the exchange of future digital developments in the participating QI institutions in Germany and India, as well as current digital projects such as the digital product passport and the development of common international standards for implementation. Here, with the digital accreditation symbol, DAkkS is creating the prerequisite for seamless proof of accreditation for the digital evidence of conformity assessment it includes. A final additional focus was the issue of artificial intelligence, where again, discussion centred on the current challenges and the development of common international standards.

Delegation with a focus on economic policy dialogue

In the run-up to the annual meeting, the German delegation led by Dr. Ole Janssen, Head of Subdivision at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, visited a Siemens factory in Mumbai to gain a general impression of the level of digitisation in local manufacturing.

During informal discussions in Mumbai and Delhi in cooperation with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there was an in-depth exchange of views between German and Indian business representatives. The agenda also included talks with representatives of the German Embassy in Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai, where the German delegation was given an explanation of and the opportunity to discuss the economic situation in India at present. The delegation also met with the Bureau of Indian Standards in Delhi to discuss cooperation in the area of standardisation.

Outlook: New working plan and intensified cooperation

The annual meeting concluded with the adoption of a new joint working plan, setting the direction of cooperation for the coming year and forming the basis for closer German-Indian cooperation in the area of quality infrastructure – in particular with regard to promoting the digitisation of all QI components and the interoperability of systems.

This strategic step marks an important milestone on the path to achieving a future-oriented, innovation-driven and internationally harmonised quality infrastructure. The meeting generated focused momentum in the effort to intensify bilateral cooperation and make decisive progress on the project.