This online, theory-based course will introduce policymakers, regulators and industry professionals to environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding applications for biodiversity monitoring and environmental assessment. The course will focus on what eDNA is and how sampling and laboratory strategies determine the questions that eDNA metabarcoding applications can answer reliably. The course is module-based, where the introductory modules can be selected to suit the audience, with a starting foundational module suitable for participants with a limited background in biology.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
1) Explain what eDNA is under current conceptual frameworks
2) Understand how DNA enters, moves through and degrades in environmental media such as water, soil, sediment and air;
3) Understand eDNA metabarcoding and its workflows, including relevant standards and standards frameworks (e.g. TRLs) and eDNA metabarcoding applications;
4) Understand why these processes shape what eDNA metabarcoding data represents in space and time. This includes understanding the difference between metabarcoding and other analyses of eDNA so participants can pick the right approach for specific applications.
Programme
Note that there is time for questions/discussions after each module, short breaks between sessions and a 30-minute lunch break each day.
Day 1, December 8, 09:00 – 13:45 (CET):
- Module 1 (Optional for participants with limited background knowledge in biology) – Life, cells, DNA in organisms and in the environment. 40 minutes (09:00 – 09:50)
- Module 2 – What is eDNA, bulk samples vs environmental media, and what do we know about its lifecycle in freshwater, marine and terrestrial environmental media. 1.5 hours (10:00 – 11:45)
- Module 3 – How is eDNA collected and analysed: Standards, principles and practices. 1 hour (12:30 – 13:45)
Day 2, December 9, 09:00 – 14:00 (CET):
- Module 4 – State of the art for selected eDNA metabarcoding applications: freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. 1.5 hours (09:00 – 10:45)
- Module 5 – Engagement of service providers, workflows, what to ask and quality assurance/ quality control. 40 minutes (11:00 – 11:50)
- Module 6 – Interpreting eDNA metabarcoding data. 1.5 hours (12:15 – 14:00)
Instructors
Glenn Dunshea, Researcher, NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
Stefaniya Kamenova, Researcher, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Torbjørn Ekrem, Professor, NTNU University Museum, Trondheim, Norway
Admission and applications
To ensure sufficient ability for engagement with participants, the course will be limited to 20 participants. Preference will be given to applicants with affiliation to policy and industry.
Application deadline
20 November 2026
Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash
