The reference laboratories that anchor the network.
A handful of high-throughput Centers of Excellence provide the depth the network runs on — the full pathogen menu, sequencing, resistance profiling and the quality assurance that keeps thousands of nodes trustworthy.
Where the hardest questions get answered.
When a hyperlocal node flags an unusual signal — a resistant organism, an unexpected pathogen, an outbreak cluster — the sample escalates to a Center of Excellence. These labs carry the instruments, the accreditation and the specialist staff that make a national network defensible.
They are the smallest tier by count and the deepest by capability — and they make every cheaper, faster node upstream possible.
Full syndromic panels
Respiratory, gastrointestinal, central-nervous-system, bloodstream and febrile-illness panels — the complete NCDC pathogen menu under one roof.
Sequencing & genomics
Whole-genome sequencing for outbreak attribution, variant tracking and emerging-pathogen characterisation feeding the national surveillance layer.
Drug-resistance profiling
Phenotypic and molecular resistance testing — the backbone of stewardship and the MDR-TB response.
Quality assurance hub
Proficiency testing, calibration and protocol governance for every micro-lab and mobile unit in the network.