So, what’s the difference between qualification and validation?

There is a general saying:

“We qualify a system and/or equipment and validate a process”. A system and/or equipment must be qualified to operate in a validated process.

For Example: “You qualify an autoclave, whereas you validate a sterilization process.”

Validation and qualification are essential components of the same concept.

The term qualification is normally used for equipment, utilities and systems, and the term validation is used for processes.

In this sense, qualification is part of validation.