EFQM - Re-certification 2025 to strengthen excellence in Research, Services, Education and Management

Swiss TPH has taken a significant step towards institutional excellence by advancing its quality management system in line with the EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) Excellence Model. Following a comprehensive external assessment by the Swiss Association for Quality (SAQ) at the end of 2022, Swiss TPH was initially awarded the 3-star “Recognised by EFQM” label. Through targeted further development, Swiss TPH successfully achieved the goal of 4 EFQM stars, confirming a mature, effective, and well-embedded management system.

The objectives of the re-certification process were to
i) anchor and further strengthen quality awareness across the entire institute,
ii) map the Swiss TPH management system to the EFQM Excellence Model 2025, and
iii) integrate the three priorities defined and approved by the ILK: a) Definition of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the 2025–2028 strategy period and provision of these KPIs to top management for effective institutional steering; b) Completion of the 2021–2024 strategy period with a comprehensive sustainability and impact report for key Swiss TPH stakeholders; c) Full integration of the existing Unit/Group Governance Factsheets as an annual self-assessment tool, forming a robust basis for periodically conducted external evaluations

Impact statement: EFQM stands for excellent and efficient internal processes and maintains trust among key stakeholders that invested funds are used efficiently and responsibly. The EFQM label further enhances Swiss TPH’s credibility with both internal stakeholders (employees, management, and the Board of Governors/Kuratorium) and external stakeholders (SERI, the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, the University of Basel, the Swiss Federal Audit Office, and third-party funders), demonstrating a clear commitment to quality, transparency, and continuous improvement. As an overarching framework for internal quality management systems, EFQM also creates synergies for external audits and inspections at project, programme, process, and unit levels, streamlining quality assurance efforts across Swiss TPH.

Way forward: Building on the 4-star EFQM recognition, Swiss TPH will focus on consistently living the EFQM mindset across the entire institute by embedding excellence principles into leadership practices, decision-making, annual planning, and performance dialogues; strengthening staff involvement and ownership of quality improvement; and using EFQM-based self-assessments and learning loops as a standard instrument for continuous institutional development.

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