Building BIOSCAN Europe: Spala workshop May 2023

A workshop dedicated to building European national capacity in the growing field of DNA barcoding biodiversity science was held in the inspirational surroundings of the University of Lodz Field Station, Spala, Poland from 28-31 May 2023.

Co-organized by hosts from the University of Lodz with colleagues from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, it involved 22 participants from 14 countries covering three continents, the majority of which attended in-person.

Results from an international survey on experiences of developing national DNA barcoding nodes were shared and discussed. Invited speakers provided additional inspiration through country specific details and an update on the global DNA barcoding effort was shared from Guelph, Canada.

The workshop culminated in the drafting of a high-level plan from which a roadmap to develop national barcoding nodes will be prepared. This plan will ultimately be adopted through pilot studies in Poland and Greece as representative countries at the early stages of their national barcoding initiatives. 

Photo: BGE