The selection phase closed on 15 February 2026. You can stay tuned to hear more about the project by subscribing to our newsletter.

In eDNA Expeditions 2026–2028, a participating site refers to the broader marine area of ecological, cultural, or conservation importance that is part of the project.

A sampling location refers to a specific, smaller marine area within that site where eDNA sampling activities are carried out.

Typically, each participating site includes four to five fixed sampling locations, which remain the same throughout the duration of the project to ensure consistency and allow for meaningful comparisons over time.

No. You do not need to be a scientist to take part in sampling operations during eDNA Expeditions 2026-2028. A clear protocol, dedicated training, and a fool-proof sampling kit developed with our partner Wilderlab make sampling accessible to almost anyone.

Training is delivered online by a team of OBIS eDNA experts and focuses on field sampling. The OBIS team will also support participating sites with the interpretation of results once data are available.

Samples are typically processed within one month of their arrival at the laboratory. Participating sites are responsible for promptly shipping samples after collection; shipping costs are covered by the project.

No minimum expertise level is required. Teams can be entirely composed of citizen scientists.

All data generated through the project are owned by the participating sites. Participating sites agree to make the data openly available through OBIS and the eDNA Expeditions dashboard.

Yes. Participating sites will be acknowledged in publications resulting from the project and may take part in global or regional synthesis work.

All data will be published through the OBIS Secretariat IPT to enable automated data workflows. OBIS Nodes can be associated with datasets, meaning the Node will be indicated on dataset pages and datasets will also appear on the Node’s page.

Yes. OBIS Nodes are welcome to engage beyond individual site participation and will benefit from the data workflows and dashboards developed through the project. We expect that eDNA workflows and indicator developments will become more robust and transferable to other regions over time.