By the end of 2023, VERIFIN has trained 1910 experts from 141 countries. The courses are offered to the States Parties and Signatory States of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) mentioned in the DAC List of Recipients of Official Development Assistance (ODA).
NACD Course (8 days)
Course on National Authorities and Chemical Databases. The duties of national authorities (for the CWC) are discussed: legislative issues concerning the national implementation of the CWC, collection of data, declarations and inspections. The end of the course concentrates on different sources, where data useful for the national authorities can be found.
Requirements: Post at or Close contact with the National Authority for the CWC
CW-LSE courses (2 weeks each)
CW-LSE courses on LC-MS, NMR, Laboratory Quality Assurance and Quantitative Mass spectrometry, Laboratory Skills Enhancement for the Analysis of Chemicals Related to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CW-LSE) courses are a series of two-week courses with similar structure and aim in the different aspects related to the chemical weapons analysis. The basic idea of the CW-LSE courses is to give thorough training on certain topic already partially familiar to the participants. The courses consist of lectures on theory and practice, demonstrations, exercises, maintenance of the equipment and often a test to show the level of the learning. The focus is on the hand-on training.
Fellowship (3 to 6 months)
A CWC-related project work at VERIFIN under the OPCW Fellowship support program. The actual subject of the project will be agreed on by the intern and VERIFIN.
All teaching is arranged by VERIFIN and on-site courses take place in the buildings of the Kumpula Campus (Chemicum, Physicum or Exactum), University of Helsinki, Finland.
The Organizers will provide, according to their established rules, free of charge:
The financial conditions apply to the participant only. If members of his/her family follow, all the costs incurred and visa arrangements will have to be covered by the participant of the sending government.
Laboratory Capacity Building Programme (LCBP)
Laboratory Capacity Building Programme is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
In the Laboratory Capacity Building Programme the focus is in enhancing analytical capabilities of certain laboratories. Laboratories commit themselves for the training programme for three years and the actual training takes place both at VERIFIN and at the recipient laboratory.
The LCBP was first organized in 2012. From 2012 to 2023, the program targeted laboratories in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nepal, and Tanzania. The current project, spanning from 2024 to 2026, is being conducted in collaboration with laboratories from Malaysia and Tanzania.
US Grants
Tailored courses releated to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the courses are funded by US department of state.
The training consists of three parts. In the first part the VERIFIN experts makes a planning trip to each laboratory to be able to plan the training to meet the recipient’s needs. In the second part the trainees come to VERIFIN for an intensive, tailor-made training. In the last part the VERIFIN experts travel to target countries to perform the final evaluation of the impact of the training.
Other activities
Tailored courses