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News New Publication! From Permits to Samples: Addressing Key Challenges for High-Quality Reference Genome Generation in Europe Led by the Sampling & Sample Processing Comittee , the article titled “From Permits to Samples: Addressing Key Challenges for High-Quality Reference Genome Generation in Europe " was published last week in Molecular Ecology Resources. This publication draws on the practical experiences of the ERGA community. Congratulations to all the authors! Help choose the new ERGA Logo! ERGA is working with a communications company ( https://www.musicanti.eu/en/ ) to develop a new visual identity and website. A key part of this process is selecting a new logo. Because this is such an important decision, members of the ERGA community have been invited to express their preferences on the design of the new logo . All registered ERGA members received an email with a survey link to vote on Tuesday, January 27th (please check your spam folder and contact media@erga-biodiversity.eu if you did not receive the link). The form will remain open until February 3rd, so don’t forget to cast your vote before the deadline! BG Connects policy roundtable: Report now available Photo: BGE The final act of the BG Connects event, last October, convened a group of key policymakers, researchers, and civil society actors to explore how biodiversity genomics can support Europe’s response to biodiversity loss, drive innovation and contribute to the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the European Green Deal. The roundtable, titled “Biodiversity innovation: Enabling technology for nature and green growth” , counted on the presence of Costas Kadis, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans. Become an ATLASea Species Ambassador! The ATLASea project is actively seeking input from the community for species to sequence. These have to be sampled in a marine/brackish/estuary environment, and be documented in the French EEZ (but can be sampled outside the French EEZ). If you have one or several such a species in mind for a scientific or applied project, or even would like to discuss a larger project encompassing a taxonomic group or specific geographic location, you can get in touch via the ATLASea Ambassador scheme:  https://www.atlasea.fr/en/species-ambassadors/ 🐐 GoaT Update Check below some useful tips to transform the way you work with the Genomes on a Tree ( GoaT ) Portal: Images by Anna Bramucci 🔔 Save the date! The next ERGA Plenary (Monday, February 16th at 15:00 CET) will feature a presentation by Dr Cibele Sotero-Caio, genomic data curator for the Genomes on a Tree (GoaT) databasing tool. Cibele will present the solutions found to address the feedback provided by the ERGA community and their strategies to increase transparancy and access to information. Events 2025 i5k Annual Meeting 4 February | Online Genome Annotation Workshop 2026 28 - 30 April, 2026 | Online MCEB 2026 Mathematical and Computational Evolutionary Biology 4-8 May - Heraklion, Crete European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) 2026 6-10 July - Leiden, The Netherlands European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB 2026) 31 August - 3 September 2026 | Geneva, Switzerland Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) Conference 2026 21-25 September | Oslo, Norway / Hybrid Featured conferences with sessions organized by ERGA members: Are you attending events or organizing sessions/workshops not listed here? Let us know—we can help you reach more attendees from the biodiversity genomics community! World Biodiversity Forum 14-19 June | Davos, Switzerland Workshop: Genome(ics)‑enabled indicators for biodiversity targets Website says Invitation Only - but please just reach out for an invitation! Early Bird: 24.3.2026 Annual Meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution  SMBE 2026  28 June - 2 July | Copenhagen, Denmark Evolutionary-informed management of vulnerable populations in a rapidly changing world Molecular Evolution in the Era of Genetic Diversity Decline New frontiers in sex evolution: evolutionary patterns and innovations The evolution of recombination landscapes From genomic graphs to evolutionary insights: standardising pangenomes for population inference Early Bird: 31.3.2026 European Congress of Conservation Biology (ECCB) 2026 6-10 July | Leiden, The Netherlands Workshop: Genomics-based Essential Biodiversity Variables for European biodiversity monitoring Round table: Stakeholders' voices on biodiversity genomics: Round Table: Local voices on genomics Symposium: Conservation genomics-based decisions in a changing Europe Early Bird: 30.4.2026 From the #ERGABlog ATLASea: progress on sequencing marine biodiversity ERGA 2025: Community Highlights 🎧 Genomic Connections # 7 - Bringing data to life: Biodiversity genomics applications Useful links HAVE ANYTHING TO SHARE? Click and Submit to ERGANews! Click her e to become an ERGA Member Public EVENTS calendar here  - add this to your Calendar or iCalendar! 💬 Follow us on social media! BlueSky LinkedIn YouTube

Join us for the first ERGA Plenary meeting of 2026! On Monday, January 19, at 15:00 CET , Hugues Roest Crollius will present an update on the progress of the ATLASea program , which aims to unlock the potential of marine biodiversity genomes for fundamental research and applications. Abstract The ATLASea program (https://www.atlasea.fr) aims to unlock the potential of marine biodiversity genomes for fundamental research and applications. Funded by the French government for eight years, ATLASea conducts large-scale sampling across the French Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to collect eukaryotic marine specimens and produce 4,500 high-quality reference genomes. All data and resources are made publicly available to the scientific community. In its first two years, ATLASea has established standardized sampling and sequencing protocols, developed a dedicated informatics infrastructure, and built international partnerships within the Ocean Decade, the Earth BioGenome Project, and the European Reference Genome Atlas. Sampling campaigns along the French metropolitan coasts and in overseas territories (Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea) have yielded over 2,300 species, with more than 200 genomes already sequenced from diverse marine taxa. Preliminary results will be presented, revealing remarkable variations of genome properties and highlighting novel co-biontic associations when multiple organismal genomes are recovered from shared DNA extracts. Speaker Hugues Roest Crollius is a CNRS researcher leading a group at the IBENS in Paris on comparative genomics, particularly in vertebrates. He also co-leads the ATLASea programme, to sequence the genomes of several thousands marine species in the French EEZ. 🔔 To receive the Zoom link and join this and our upcoming plenary meetings, register as an ERGA member . ▶️ You can watch all previous ERGA Plenary talks here . If you would like to suggest a speaker or topic for a future plenary session, please contact us at training@erga-biodiversity.eu . We welcome your input!

29–31 October 2025 Summary 🗓️ Dates:  29 - 31 October 2025 ( click to add to your agenda! ) 🔗 Online venue: ERGA YouTube Channel Conference programme We are excited to announce the Genomics for Biodiversity Conference  organised by ERGA-BGE, which will be held on October 29 - 31 and transmitted live through the ERGA YouTube channel . Participation is free of charge. All sessions were recorded and are available in our Channel : The event aims to bring together researchers and other stakeholders interested in applied biodiversity genomics and will showcase how it can have an impact on real-world issues, focusing primarily on biodiversity conservation and the bioeconomy.   Programme Through two and a half days, the conference will include: Keynote talks  - addressing the links between biodiversity genomics, policy, and society. Check the list of keynote speakers below: Christina Hvilsom: Genomes in action for conservation Since 2008, I have build and led the genetic research profile and lab of Copenhagen Zoo managing a highly skilled and dedicated team focused on conservation genetics and population genomics. Over the years, I’ve built robust in-house expertise and international collaborations that advance science-based solutions for managing endangered species—both in the wild and in human care. My work combines genomic analyses with strategic conservation planning, supporting efforts from species recovery programs to global biodiversity policy. I’m proud to supervise students and researchers, foster interdisciplinary research, and contribute to high-impact networks and initiatives worldwide. As founder and chair of the EAZA Biobank, I help develop genetic resource infrastructures for over 450 zoos and aquaria. I also advise on population management through the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), support and build resources for global biodiversity efforts and strategies via the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and coordinate the EU Biodiversa+ GINAMO project—working to integrate genetic indicators into EU and global biodiversity frameworks of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Passionate about uniting science, management, and policy, I actively contribute to initiatives like the EU COST Action Networks GENOA and G-BiKE, Coalition for Conservation Genetics and the IUCN SSC Conservation Genetics Specialist Group, ensuring genetic diversity has a voice in global conservation efforts. Alessio Iannucci: Integrating reference genomes and cytogenomics to support the design of wildlife management and conservation programs Dr. Alessio Iannucci, currently a research fellow at the University of Florence, studies the evolution and population dynamics of terrestrial vertebrate species using advanced genomic technologies. His PhD research focused on the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), for which he produced the first reference genome. His research includes the combination of classical cytogenetic methods with next-generation sequencing technologies. Pier Luigi Buttigieg: Omics in global data ecosystems: Forming a digital niche to scale the impact and use of reference genomes I'm a senior data scientist, digital architect, and strategist. My thematic foci are in ocean and biodiversity data (especially microbiome and biomolecular data), as well as their societal links. I contribute to the steering, strategy, and operations of multiple regional and international research data infrastructures and Actions within and related to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, including those addressing globally federated digital exchange and digital twinning. I also chair the Ocean Data and Information System Project of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. My additional focal areas include digital strategy and architecture development, interoperability approaches, semantic harmonisation, knowledge representation, and high-dimensional data analysis. Alexandra A.-T. Weber : Genomics of sex determination in invasive quagga and zebra mussels: progress towards potential genetic biocontrol I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms generating and maintaining biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems. I use a wide range of -omics data (e.g. genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics) from the field and experiments to uncover how organisms adapt to different environmental conditions, and ultimately infer their vulnerability and resilience in the face of rapid environmental changes. I mainly focus on native (e.g. Unionids) and invasive (e.g. quagga and zebra mussels; Asian clam) freshwater bivalve species in Switzerland to conduct my current research, but I also have collaborative projects on other aquatic invertebrates from various habitats (e.g. marine limpets; freshwater crustaceans). 29 Genomic for biodiversity projects presentations  - they will showcase the applied use of biodiversity genomics across Europe and a diverse set of eukaryotic species.  Click here to learn more about the projects. 3 sessions focusing on genomics applied to biodiversity conservation and standardisation. ERGA-BGE Case Studies The Biodiversity Genomics Europe Project and ERGA have supported 29 research projects that demonstrate the applications of genomic data to improve our understanding of biodiversity. In this conference, research project participants will have a chance to come together, share scientific results, and exchange experiences. Learn more about the projects in the interactive map below: Parallel sessions On Friday, 31 October 2025 at 12:30 CET three parallel breakout sessions on Conservation Genomics and Genomic Data Standardisation , will run concurrently. Each session will include selected flash talks on genomics‑driven study that fits one of the three themes and can be communicated clearly within a timed and visually engaging five‑minute presentation. The Biodiversity Genomics Europe ( BGE ) Project is funded by the European Union's Horizon Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Framework Programme Additional support:

Executive Board Council of Countries Committees Our Partners Pilot Project Former Contributors top OUR COMMUNITY ERGA is an bottom-up initiative based on people, consisting of hundreds of scientists across the entire European continent and beyond. Research institutions, infrastructure facilities as well as partner genome projects will play an important role within ERGA. Finally, ERGA will have a focus on societal needs particularly related to Biodiversity conservation. For that purpose, ERGA will work engaging governmental and non-governmental entities and will closely involve citizens in different actions. Executive Board Executive Board executive-board@erga-biodiversity.eu Robert Waterhouse Chair Ann Mc Cartney Vice Chair Olga Vinnere Pettersson Vice Chair Tyler Alioto Scientific Officer Kay Lucek Partnership Officer Stefaniya Kamenova Dissemination Officer Lada Lukić Bilela Social Integration Officer Camila Mazzoni Funding Opportunities Officer Jaakko Pohjoismäki Genomic Outreach Officer List of Former Executive Board Members > Council of Country Representatives Contact the national representatives for more information on the ERGA community in your country! Andorra Andorra@erga-biodiversity.eu Manel Niell List of Former Council Members > Council of Countries Committees SSP - Sampling & Sample Processing samples@erga-biodiversity.eu More > DAC - Data Analysis Committee analysis@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Media & Communications media@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Social Justice Committee socialjustice@erga-biodiversity.eu More > SAC - Sequencing and Assembly Committee assembly@erga-biodiversity.eu More > ITIC - IT & Infrastructure Committee itinfra@erga-biodiversity.eu More > CS - Citizen Science citizenscience@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Annotation Committee annotation@erga-biodiversity.eu More > ELSI - Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues elsi@erga-biodiversity.eu More > TKT - Training and Knowledge Transfer training@erga-biodiversity.eu More > Committees Our Partners Our Partners ERGA is the pan-European partner of the Earth Biogenome Project (EBP) Affiliated Initiatives Associated Partners Pilot Project Pilot Project Committee Coordinators pilot@erga-biodiversity.eu Giulio Formenti Alice Mouton Ann Mc Cartney Learn more about the Pilot Project Former Contributors SSP - Sampling & Sample Processing Committee Filter by Type Astrid Böhne (Former Committee Chair) Former Contributors

The European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative is a pan-European scientific response to current threats to biodiversity. Reference genomes provide the most complete insight into the genetic basis that forms each species and represent a powerful resource in understanding how biodiversity functions. With approxima HOME A GENOME ATLAS OF EUROPEAN BIODIVERSITY The European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative is a pan-European scientific response to current threats to biodiversity. Reference genomes provide the most complete insight into the genetic basis that forms each species and represent a powerful resource in understanding how biodiversity functions. With approximately one fifth of the ~200,000 European species at risk of extinction, we need to act fast and together to generate high-quality complete genome resources in large scale. Science needs genomes to understand biodiversity, biodiversity needs to be understood to be protected. HIGHLIGHTS Sampling for genomics studies across the tree of life Uncovering the evolution of Mediterranean soft corals with genomics Welcome to the new members of the ERGA Executive Board! EVENTS Sampling for genomics studies across the tree of life Join the Taxon Sampling SOP Hackathon! Biodiversity Reference Genomes at ENA and the ERGA Data Portal Open to Collaborate ERGA is committed to the development of new modes of collaboration, engagement, and partnership with Indigenous peoples for the care and stewardship of past and future heritage collections. Calls OUR MISSION 1/3 1/3 1/3 1/3 WHAT WE DO Establishing high-quality reference genomes requires an interdisciplinary workflow From species to genomes … and beyond. From species selection to data analysis, the process of creating reference genomes for the entire biodiversity will involve a deep synergy among museums, research institutes, universities, sequencing centres, bioinformatics and computational groups. Citizens will also play an important role supporting the inclusion of all types of species. WHAT WE AIM FOR Creating and consolidating a collaborative and interdisciplinary network of scientists across Europe and associated countries Connecting relevant infrastructure across Europe following a distributed model that can dynamically increase Propagating guidelines for state-of-the-art genome establishment through training and knowledge transfer Next La comunidad ERGA tiene como objetivo optimizar la producción de genomas de referencia mediante el desarrollo y el intercambio de protocolos y flujos de trabajo, brindando acceso a recursos y apoyando el desarrollo de capacidades a través de la transferencia de conocimientos - para mejorar y ampliar el uso de datos genómicos para la protección y restauración de la biodiversidad Next OUR PROJECTS ERGA Pilot The Pilot Project was launched to demonstrate the feasibility of continent-wide collaboration. It was established, funded, and driven entirely by its members. Read more >> Biodiversity Genomics Europe ERGA has recently been funded as part of the Biodiversity Genomics Europe project through the European Union's Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action. Read more ERGA Community Genomes Are you planning or developing a reference genome project of a European species? Join the growing family of ERGA Community G enomes! Read mo re “Species conservation is urgent and demands deep knowledge of the genetic features of their populations. A coordinated effort to generate complete reference genomes for all European biodiversity, such as what we are proposing with ERGA, can give us the whole picture about the adaptive differences and extent of a need for genetic rescue among populations and species.” Dr. Camila Mazzoni, Founding Chair, ERGA. Research Group Leader Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin, Germany

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