An occasional information sheet about instrumentation in developing countries.

Published and distributed by "MTA-MMSZ Ltd", P.O.Box 58, H1502 Budapest,Hungary;

Tel. and Fax: 36-1 203 4285;

E-mail: A_Menyhard@compuserve.com

Responsible publisher: J. Kiss;

Editor: A. Menyhard

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MMSZ Notebook - an occasional information sheet

about instrumentation in developing countries

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We thank for our Readers for their activity and hope that the questionnaire sent out in October will reach all of them in time. Also many thanks to UNIDO which was sponsoring MMSZ Notebook in the last three years.

We wish you all and every one a happy and successful New Year

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Instrumentation project in Pakistan

The country has a fairly large number of science and technology institutions and many of them have been mandated to undertake R&D. Beside the science and technology institutions, there are 22 universities. At present, there are 13 science and technology oriented organizations working under the supervision of Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

The Government of Pakistan has recognized the necessity of the development of the instrumentation infrastructure in the country. The MOST requested United Nations Industrial Development Organization's (UNIDO) assistance in establishing a National Electronic Equipment and Scientific Instrument Register and also the preparation of a National Instrumentation Policy Framework. MTA-MMSZ Ltd., Budapest, Hungary was awarded by UNIDO as the contractor of this project.

In the framework of this project also a Seminar of one day and a Workshop of 3 days were organized in October 1997.

The seminar was organized for decision - maker senior officials (28 persons) to highlight the importance of the instrumentation services in the industrial development and introduce the problems on the necessary services for the smooth operation of the precision and measuring instrumentation. Based on the views and expectations of the decision-makers the workshop of three days was convened for 28 selected managers and instrument engineers assigned by the decision-makers of the seminar responsible for the instrumentation and sent from the organizations, institutes supervised and/or directed by these senior officials.

The aim of the workshop was to introduce the elements of instrumentation services, the advantages of the cooperation between these services and to show the modular structure of the Hungarian method.

Some important recommendations of the Seminar and Workshop are as follows:

- To avoid further wastage in instrumentation on national level a comprehensive National Instrumentation Policy is proposed to be worked out. This policy should contain also an instrumentation acquisition policy.

- The Instrument Service Centre, as a pilot project, may be created initially in Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The primary tasks of ISC (Pakistan) should be to maintain the presently installed instruments and to provide consultancy services both for the public and the private sector. If the project is successful, it have toy be extended to major industrial towns of the country.

- Because of the requirement of specially trained human resource due to fast changing electronic technology, the effort initially may be collaborative between the different fields of economy.

- First of all concentration should be put on the collection of data. The National ELECTRONIC and Scientific Instruments Register (NEESIR) should be prepared and kept at a central location. The data base should contain data of human-power expertise, too.

- It was proposed to work out a National Plan of Action for the development of instrumentation services in the country.

The National Instrumentation Policy Draft is under preparation and the establishment of the National Electronic Equipment and Scientific Instrument Register (NEESIR) is in pipeline. The final installation of NEESIR is planned by March 1998.

(am)

Contact: Mr A. Menyhard, PO Box 58, H1502 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/Fax: +36 (1) 203 4285. Email: < A_Menyhard@compuserve.com >.

Development of LIS in Morocco

Information was given on Morocco's Scientific Instruments Laboratory (LIS) in Rabat in item 12/063, in 1994. There has been a lot of efforts made to develop the instrumentation services in the institute for the last years, as follows:

Morocco has invested tremendous efforts in constituting its national instrumentation patrimony. For the effective use of this patrimony, the Government considers the effective post-investment/instrumentation services as a sine qua non condition for the sustainable development. The LIS is to offer instrumentation services in the areas of maintenance and electronics. Its mission was successfully achieved at a local level. To extend this experience to the national level first a National Centre for Scientific Instrumentation and Maintenance (CNISM) was proposed in place of LIS in 1996. The CNISM would profit from the existing infrastructure, the scientific workers and the experience of LIS. This proposal was studied and supported by a committee constituted from the potential end-users. Then in a second step, the project was discussed and approved by the Technical committee of the National Research Centre (CNDPRST) of Morocco to which the LIS is belonging. These two Committees agreed on the importance of the creation of such a National Instrumentation Centre, so, they have submitted this project to the Board of Directors of the CNCPRST for the final decision.

On the basis of this approach in October 1996 a request was prepared in order to ask German assistance. This request submitted to the German embassy in Rabat in October 1996 didn't get the required priority to be considered.

The local decision - makers consider the instrumentation services of a great importance for the overall development of the country. However, it is maybe not necessary to replace LIS by a National Centre for Scientific Instrumentation and Maintenance but, what is more essential that is to consolidate the existing infrastructure of LIS.

The Government was then aiming at consolidating the existing structures in order to contribute to a more effective use of the national instrumentation resources and to secure quality assurance systems which can not operate successfully without good instrumentation background services.

Now, the sector of higher education and scientific research is under reform in Morocco. The implementation of this reform has been started since July 1996 and it is being done with certain priorities. According to this reform, the maintenance should play an important role in any scientific and education activity. The LIS was then selected, in September 1997, to be the central element to build a maintenance strategy of the scientific equipment used in the Moroccan universities throughout the country. Therefore, up to July 1998, the LIS should build a national database on the existing equipment, human resources, manufacturers and after sale services.

Furthermore, the ongoing reform also concerns the mother institute to which the LIS belongs. Therefore, regarding the further development plan of LIS it is advisable to wait until the implementation of this reform will be carried out and mainly until the approval of the new status of LIS.

(am)

Contact: Dr. M.Lakhloufi, Head of the Scientific Instrumentation Laboratory (LIS),B.P.8027,10.102 Rabat, Morocco, Tel.:+(212 7) 77.40-99, fax: 77-12-88

THE "LABPLAN" DATABASE

Experience and problems of not less than 15 UNIDO and FAO projects have led to the idea or better to say to the need of establishing a kind of database that would support food laboratories in one of their basic problem of identifying appropriate testing methods, as well as the chemicals, glassware, instruments and other facilities corresponding to the actual and specific requirements, meeting also all specifications of the testing procedure. This support is useful partly in developing countries where the relevant data are often difficult to obtain, but anywhere else, too, since it unburdens the lab management of lengthy studies of dozens of catalogues, test methodologies.

The database (information was given in MMSZ Notebook item 7/037 in 1993 on the first version) is subject to yearly updating, in this way the newly adopted methods are incorporated, obsolete ones are excluded.

The developed version of database operates on Visual Fox-pro 3.0 software but can easily be converted to other databases. It is a considerable advantage that the database easily fits an average 486 lap-top computer and can be thus used also in the field.

It is foreseen - if support can be granted for this work - that the present database should be extended, as follows:

1. Extension of the food testing methods over those already included in the database (ISO, AOAC,, EU, ICUMSA, IDF, ICC, IUPAC).

2. It is possible to include the quantities of chemicals utilized in the testing methods, that would allow to identify the needed quantity of chemical for the respective test, and also financial calculations can be conducted thereupon.

3. The catalogues of some well known labware providers can be processed and on this base an immediate reference can be made to the respective catalogue number, and cost calculations can be made.

4. Due to the already available specification of instruments and other labware and taking the yearly test size into account cost estimation can be made e.g. for water, electricity, gas consumption - important for planning exercises.

5. Knowing the timeframe that is needed for executing various test procedures, staff size and lab work efficiency could be planned, too.

(ku)

Contact: Mr A. Menyhard, PO Box 58, H1502 Budapest, Hungary. Tel/Fax: +36 (1) 203 4285. Email: < A_Menyhard@compuserve.com >.

Report on the Training on Bio-Medical Electronic and Computer-Assisted Equipment

This training programme in the field of Maintenance of Biomedical Electronic and Computer Assisted Equipment in Budapest, Hungary took place from 1 - 26 September, 1997. It was an in-plant group training programme for engineers from developing countries and it was an updated version of similar courses successfully carried out also in Budapest in the years from 1975 to 1997 (see item 8/046).

The present programme has been organised in co-operation with the Hungarian National Committee for UNIDO, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism and six Hungarian professional, bio-medical manufacturing enterprises. According to UNIDO's policy bio-medical engineers from African countries have been invited this year. 11 participants from 7 African countries - Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia - participated in the 4 weeks' programme. The programme started with a one week's skill development consisting of computer, electronic circuit and computer network training at the Technical University of Budapest. The industrial training covered the area of trouble shooting, maintenance of circuits of computer assisted equipment like X-ray, Gamma camera, Laser equipment. The visits to hospitals showed the methods of hospital administration and patient care and device management. Several cultural programs were organised also to make the course even more interesting. The participants strongly recommended to repeat this seminar, annually

(kr)

Contact: Dr. E. Krisch, Associate Professor, Technical University Budapest, Department of Electrical Machines and Drives, H-1111, Budapest, Egry J. utca 18. Hungary. Tel/Fax.: (36-1) 3888 428, E-mail: <mantissa@mail.elender.hu>