With Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) approach collaborating institutions and programs in many countries and regions of the world, it is essential that the International CDIO Leadership Council promulgate processes to assure internal and external stakeholders that member institutions and programs are adhering to the 12 CDIO Standards. The Standards are what make CDIO a unique initiative in that they provide a vehicle for realizing the CDIO vision to transform the culture of engineering education. Therefore, the CDIO Council has developed five quality assurance processes that begin with the application to become a CDIO Collaborator and include self-evaluation, certification, and accreditation based on the CDIO Standards. This article discusses the CDIO quality assurance processes and the other articles in this special issue provide case studies and other examples related to the use of the processes by CDIO collaborators.
