Mission

It is also the National Reference Laboratory in many food safety sectors.

The SGL covers a wide spectrum of products and materials:

• Food and food contact materials
• Water
• Effluents
• Environmental samples
• Illegal drugs and other police exhibits
• Children's toys
• Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics and other consumer products

The SGL activities are governed by the values of scientific excellence, impartiality, integrity, tansparency and pre-action, which ensure the fulfilment of the requirements of the Public Service Law, as well as the citizens expectations.

The SGL goes one step beyond the analysis evaluating the results and carrying out the necessary risk assessment, so as to confirm the degree of exposure of the general population & children and the related risks thereby providing scientifically based advice to competent authorities to enable risk management and effective measures to be taken. To reinforce its activities within Risk Assessment it has established a Risk Assessment Unit. An IT Unit is also established so as to assist SGL recording and processing all analytical data using a LIMS system (Laboratory Information Management System), to create laboratory reports and to send data to Government Departments, EFSA, the Commission and other official organizations.

The SGL vision is:

Contribution to the improvement of Quality of life through the provision of reliable and high quality services, constant development and excellence.

The SGL mission is:

The provision of high quality services to the authorities and the citizens through innovative management and technology with the ultimate aims:

1. Protection of public health and the environment focused on prevention.
2. Protection of citizen security and consumer rights
3. Scientific support of legal, police and other state authorities and European Union Committees.
4. Applied research aiming at utilisation of national and European resources for scientific development and solution or prevention of specific problems.
5. Constant development of infrastructure and know-how for managing new risks and crises.

For the fulfiment of its mission, SGL takes action in the following fields:

• Ensures quality and reliability by extending its accreditation through implementation of the international standard EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017.
• Promotes the increase in productivity through implementation of new multi-residue methods making full utilisation of the human and financial resources.
• Attracts new scientists with high academic qualifications through the implementation of research programs for constant development.
• Invests in modern technologies and in the continuous education of the its personnel and the consumer.
• Participates in International Networking and cooperates with Universities, European research centres and Authorities through scientific exchange and promotion of common research programmes, propagation of know-how and other common actions.
• Contributes in academic actions by investing in the promotion of postgraduate education by accepting students to carry out their laboratory work at the SGL in cooperation with European and Cyprus Universities.
• Develops knowledge and expertise in food risk assessment (chemical, microbiological, biological etc).
• Develops and implements a holistic and interdisciplinary approach which reflects the planning of preventive monitoring programmes, surveillance, control and research, with added value and synergistic effectiveness.

POLICY AND STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPMENT

The development policy and strategy of the SGL is based on its vision and mission and it sets the organisation’s priorities which aim towards:

• its contribution, through its scientific work, to the economic and social development of the country,
• its significant contribution, as a consultant of the State, in responding promptly and in a reliable manner to crises and problems that cover areas under its remit, having an active, scientifically robust and meaningful role in the implementation of the National Strategy,
• its sustainability, as a high quality and state-of-the-art center of integrated services, expertise and applied research whose scientific contribution can be classified among the best in Europe, and
• its development as a Centre of Excellence and Regional Reference Centre in the areas of its competence (food quality and safety, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, environmental protection and crime investigation),