On 5-6 February 2026, a workshop gathering representatives from iBOL Europe and the nascent European eDNA Society – eDNAEurope – took place at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (NL).
eDNAEurope is a nascent initiative exploring the feasibility of establishing a European society focused on environmental DNA (eDNA) and four Missions:
- Build a European community of eDNA researchers and stakeholders
- Connect the European eDNA community with wider national, regional and global initiatives
- Promote technological advancement and share research findings and best practices
- Facilitate mainstreaming of eDNA methods into policy and practice
By bringing together the core group of the European eDNA Society and representatives of iBOL Europe, the Workshop allowed for discussions about developing the respective communities by aligning intents and objectives and giving time and space to the European eDNA Society core group to discuss governance and strategy of the Society.
The Workshop was made possible by funds provided by the Biodiversity Genomics Europe project, funded by the European Commission, the UK Research and Innovation Agency and the Swiss Confederation.
