Sponsors

CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency. As one of the world’s largest mission-driven multidisciplinary science and research organisations, we solve Australia’s greatest challenges through innovative science and technology.

CSIRO recognises that research methods are evolving rapidly. This provides opportunities to address previously intractable science questions by bringing together cross-disciplinary capabilities.

The Environomics Future Science Platform (FSP) at CSIRO brings together genomics, bioinformatics and nano-technologies. Our goals are to find new resources in nature and reinvent how we measure and monitor ecosystem health, change and threats.

The Environomics FSP is home to some of Australia’s leading eDNA scientists. We are at the forefront of developing new technologies that make eDNA analysis more effective and accessible. We develop and test methods for eDNA collection and analysis in water and on land. We explore analytical and molecular approaches that take eDNA beyond simple species detection, and we’re building a National Biodiversity DNA Library to ensure eDNA sequences can be matched to species.

Through this conference, we are building networks of eDNA research partners nationally and globally to build the skills and science for an eDNA future of environmental measurement.

Wilderlab is Aotearoa’s only exclusive environmental DNA (eDNA) testing service. Our modern molecular laboratory in Wellington provides eDNA sample collection kits, sequencing, and analytics services for the conservation, biosecurity, education, and primary sectors. Our clients include regional councils and territorial authorities, central government agencies, environmental consultancies, primary sector organizations and community groups.

Founded in 2019 by Dr. Shaun Wilkinson, Wilderlab has been a driving force behind the rapid uptake of eDNA monitoring and surveillance across Aotearoa. Our team has abundant experience in molecular biology, ecology and bioinformatics, and is committed to advancing our understanding of the environment and its inhabitants. By maintaining strong research links, we have developed and optimised a range of highly sensitive eDNA tests for a variety of applications, from targeted single-species detection to full multi-species metabarcoding analysis.

At Wilderlab, we acknowledge the immense value our communities can contribute to the monitoring and protection of our taiao through mātauranga (traditional knowledge) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship). We have empowered hundreds of volunteers to generate high-quality environmental data through sponsorship and participation in outreach activities. Through innovative solutions and community partnerships we aim to revolutionize how people discover, preserve, and treasure their natural environment.

For more than 20 years, Illumina has aspired to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Now, next-generation sequencing is enabling the discovery and understanding of the structure, function, and diversity of plant and animal genomes. Through innovation and collaboration with researchers around the globe, we are driving genomic breakthroughs that promote food security and conservation efforts.

The biodiversity crisis is a significant issue which has far reaching impacts on the environment, food security and human health. It is essential to maintain diversity across ecosystems, diversity across species and diversity across genes. Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is powerful tool for studying ecosystem biodiversity, as it offers the ability to analyze complex environmental DNA samples. eDNA sequencing promises to be a vital tool for biomonitoring and conservation biology. Compared to traditional DNA methods, Next-generation sequencing (NGS) enables simultaneous profiling of thousands of species from a single sample with high sensitivity, thus uncovering the full breadth of diversity in an ecological sample.

Learn more at https://ilmnmkt.illumina.com/2016010587

As a world-leading resources company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, our products are sold worldwide. We’re focused on the resources the world needs to grow and decarbonise. Copper for renewable energy. Nickel for electric vehicles. Potash for sustainable farming. Iron ore and metallurgical coal for the steel needed for global infrastructure and the energy transition.

We put health and safety first, aim to be environmentally responsible, respect human rights and support the communities where we operate. Sustainability is a core part of who we are and what we do at BHP.

We recognise our responsibility to make a positive contribution to sustainable development and environmental resilience. In 2020, we formed a partnership with Curtin University to support research on developing and applying environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques to address challenges related to biodiversity loss and sustainability in our changing world.

The BHP and Curtin University eDNA partnership is a multi-year program with five distinct projects that each builds and expands the utility of eDNA as a biological monitoring tool. It is a global environmental initiative with aquatic and terrestrial contexts spanning across Australia and Chile.

Find out more about the eDNA for Global Environmnent Studies (eDGES) program at: https://research.curtin.edu.au/scieng/edges/

Established by Andrew and Nicola Forrest in 2001, Minderoo Foundation is a modern philanthropic organisation seeking to break down barriers, innovate and drive positive, lasting change. Minderoo Foundation is proudly Australian, with key initiatives spanning from ocean research and ending slavery, to collaboration against cancer and building community projects.

Minderoo Foundation’s OceanOmics program seeks to revolutionise ocean conservation by collaborating with leading experts and organisations across an array of fields to advance the field of eDNA, through methodology development, applied research projects, and direct support of relevant activities.

We are supporting the development and deployment of the most advanced technologies in environmental genomics and computational biology to characterise and monitor marine wildlife at a pace and scale that cannot be achieved by traditional survey methods. To progress towards these goals, we have sponsored research, convened discussion forums, equipped our research vessel Pangaea Ocean Explorer with cutting-edge cellular and molecular biology equipment, including high throughput DNA sequencing machines, as well as bioinformatics workstations. In collaboration with its global partners, Minderoo Foundation is also establishing a world-first reference genome centre for marine wildlife in Perth, with an initial focus on producing high quality reference genomes for marine vertebrates.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ goal is to enable the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere. The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology that is currently used for real-time, accurate, accessible, and scalable analysis of DNA and RNA. The technology is used in more than 100 countries, to understand the biology of humans, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses and environments as well as to understand diseases such as cancer.  Oxford Nanopore’s technology also has the potential to provide broad, high impact, rapid insights in a number of areas including healthcare, food and agriculture.

Solving complex environmental challenges through biodiversity profiling.

eDNA Frontiers specialises in advanced metabarcode sequencing techniques to detect environmental DNA (eDNA) providing leading biodiversity services in biomonitoring. Recipients receive simultaneous identifications of entire communities across taxonomic groups, giving rise to greater interpretive power for decision-making.

Our experience spans multiple application fields including the oil/gas and minerals sector, environmental impact assessments, national and international conservation and fisheries, and ongoing invasive species screening programs for ports, shipping zones & infrastructure builds. We select from over 130 metabarcoding assays with detection ranges from broad organism captures (e.g. eukaryotes or vertebrates) to those focussed on specific taxa (e.g. elasmobranch). We also report species specific requests using qPCR techniques, and can enhance result lists by generating reference sequences for key organisms.

Experiences gained from over a decade of working on ancient DNA and environmental DNA help guide experimental aims to the most impactful outcomes. eDNA Frontiers is an unrestricted service provider accessible by industry, governments and community, while also offering collaborative power with our sister group the Trace and Environmental DNA lab (TrEnD) at Curtin University.

Website: curtin.edu/ednafrontiers/

EnviroDNA is a science-driven team of professionals in Melbourne offering services to revolutionise biodiversity monitoring in Australia and abroad. Our premium services include sensitive species detection to applications that generate quality environmental data across landscape-scale. With client-focused solutions and extensive backgrounds of both research and practical application, we help increase understanding of complex ecosystems and fragile biodiversity.

Co-founders Dr Paul Umina and Dr Andrew Weeks have expansive backgrounds across Australia’s conservation and agricultural spheres and together with Managing Director, Helen Barclay, steward EnviroDNA to advance the accessibility of these pioneering techniques. From purpose-built eDNA laboratories, we have designed over 70 qPCR assays for target species and have undertaken some of Australia’s largest and most innovative metabarcoding projects at a state-wide scale.

Using the power of eDNA technology, we are motivated to drive positive environmental change and recognise the critical role of quality nature data to support impactful management actions. We have managed projects to rapidly unlock data across freshwater, marine and terrestrial environments. These range from surveying threatened species, determining biodiversity and natural capital, fostering community engagement and helping at the front line of biosecurity.

EcoDNA is a research group based at the University of Canberra and hosts the National eDNA Reference Centre. The research group was established in 2013 and pioneered the development of eDNA assays for single species detections along with supporting quantitative frameworks to enable estimation of detection probabilities. Since that time, the team has diversified eDNA applications across many different environments and purposes, working closely with end-user agencies. The long-standing collaborations with federal and state government agencies has culminated in the establishment of the National eDNA Reference Centre (NRC) which is a collaboration between the University of Canberra and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The NRC provides support to develop and validate eDNA/RNA-based assays and protocols following international standards, offer proficiency eDNA testing schemes as required, and tests cutting edge technology in order to improve eDNA/RNA assays for the purpose of surveillance and monitoring with particular focus on environment and biosecurity risk management. The NRC provides collaboration opportunities for laboratories throughout Australia and the broader region.

SEQUENCH is the first professional environmental DNA/RNA (eDNA/eRNA) laboratory established at the Top of the South Island, New Zealand, in December 2021. It offers high-end molecular analyses of complex environmental samples and science-underpinned solutions for eDNA/eRNA-based environmental monitoring. The company is run by an enthusiastic team of scientists and technicians with extensive practical experience in molecular research and eDNA/eRNA applications. Having engineering expertise onboard, we can help unlock optimized solutions for any challenging project, from customized sample collection strategy and design to sequencing assay and follow-up analytical protocols.

The co-founder Dr. Anastasija Zaiko, was among the pioneer scientists advancing the field of environmental DNA, developing and optimizing sampling strategies and sample processing approaches. Inspired by the technology and the revolutionary opportunities it provides for unveiling biodiversity, Anastasija and her partner Artur Zaiko established SEQUENCH with the vision to facilitate the broader uptake of eDNA/eRNA tools in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond,  empowering understanding and protection of natural ecosystems.

SEQUENCH emphasizes the production of quality data, using stringent protocols which are compliant with the best practices in the field. Our team is committed to delivering fit-for-purpose results at the highest ethical and scientific standards.

Our motivation to harness molecular science and technology to understand nature is fuelled by close collaboration with world-leading scientists, technology developers and nature guardians across institutions and communities.

www.sequench.co.nz

Parks Australia is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. We support the Director of National Parks (DNP) to manage 60 Australian Marine Parks which are located offshore in Commonwealth waters. They cover more than one third, or around 3.5 million square kilometres, of Australia’s marine environment.

Parks Australia’s Marine Science Program is vital for addressing key knowledge gaps and supporting evidence-based management of the parks. The Marine Science Program underpins Parks Australia’s adaptive management approach which helps the DNP measure implementation of management strategies; evaluate and report on effectiveness; and identify opportunities for improvement. The Marine Science Program is delivered through a range of partnerships with scientific organisations, Sea Country managers, management agencies, state and territory governments, citizen science programs, philanthropists, and industry.

Rapid advances in technology continue to provide an increasing range of tools to help us better understand and improve the management of Australian Marine Parks. Techniques like environmental DNA (eDNA) can play an important role in collecting data unable to be collected until now, while also complementing existing methods. They have the potential to provide a much greater understanding of the diversity and health of marine life in Australian Marine Parks.

The Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER – www.tropwater.com) conducts influential research in fields related to water science, resource management and the ecology of aquatic ecosystems. The Centre has a strong, but not exclusive, focus on tropical systems, both in Australia and internationally. It is concerned with major issues in water science, including water resources, water quality and aquatic biodiversity, in relation to economic, social and environmental needs, constraints and change.

TropWATER is leading large-scale research programmes aiming to develop rapid and cost-effective eDNA technology to identify and monitor species of management concern in northern Australia. This technology is revolutionising how we investigate biodiversity and the TropWATER team are experts in using eDNA-based approaches for practical monitoring and assessment of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. We are currently applying eDNA techniques to estimate the presence and distribution of aquatic invasive species (tilapia, climbing perch, snakeheads, cane toads), rare and endangered species (sawfish, frogs, turtles), invasive terrestrial species (yellow crazy ants, invasive bees and Varroa mites) and to determine the potential effects of fish passage barriers on barramundi movements.  We have a special focus on developing simple methods that enable citizen scientists and Indigenous Ranger groups to undertake eDNA monitoring in remote environments.

Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation, is a leader in delivering world-class science for a better future.

Based in Nelson, our science supports healthy ecosystems, a prosperous blue economy and thriving people and communities.

While protecting our unique marine and freshwater environments, our science uses innovative ideas and technology to support New Zealand’s primary industries to develop enduring solutions and create sustainable value from precious natural resources.

Since our establishment 100 years ago, our scientists have been identifying emerging areas of research to assist industry – and New Zealand.

Bioplatforms Australia Ltd is a Commonwealth supported organisation who invests in infrastructure, capacity and expertise across Australian life sciences.

We support the development of open access ‘omics data including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics, that are generated as part of collaborative research consortia to address scientific challenges of national importance.

Bioplatforms Australia is enabled by  the Australian Government funding under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

QIAGEN is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions to transform biological materials into valuable molecular insights. Our mission is to make improvements in life possible by enabling our customers to achieve outstanding success and breakthroughs in life sciences research, applied testing, pharma and molecular diagnostics.
Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com