OBON Community Webinars – ASIA-PACIFIC Session

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OBON Community Webinars – ASIA-PACIFIC Session

Building on the success of last year’s OBON Network Spotlight webinar series, we are pleased to bring the OBON project community together once again through the 2026 OBON Project Community Webinar Series.

Please note that this year’s webinars are only open to those directly involved with OBON (ie SAC members, project teams and working group members).  However, the presentation recordings will be made available on OBON’s YouTube channel after the event.

The third ‘Asia-Pacific’ Session, will take place on 13 October, 06:00-07:30 (UK Time), as part of our preparations for the OBON Annual Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh (30 Nov to 4 Dec 2026).

To help foster discussion and knowledge exchange across the network, we have slightly revised the format compared with previous years.

The first half of the session will feature projects presenting at an OBON webinar for the first time. We have allocated up to 15 minutes per presentation to allow these projects to introduce their objectives, planned activities and anticipated contributions to the OBON community.

The second half of the session will focus on projects that have previously participated in OBON webinars, providing updates on recent progress, achievements and priorities. We have allocated up to 6 minutes per presentation for these project updates.

To encourage interaction , we have also introduced dedicated SAC Reflection slots. These will provide an opportunity for members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) to share observations, identify common themes across projects, and offer feedback, followed by discussion with all participants.

To ensure that all projects have an opportunity to present and participate in the discussion, we kindly ask presenters to keep within their allocated time. To help with this, Luz will provide a reminder when there is one minute remaining.

Presentation guidance

When preparing your slides, please ensure that you address the information requested in the registration form:

For newly endorsed projects: (Up to 15 minutes)

  • A brief introduction to the project, including its objectives and planned activities;
  • Any areas where collaboration with the wider OBON community may be beneficial.

For existing projects (Up to 6 minutes)

  • One key achievement since the last webinar;
  • One challenge or question for discussion;
  • One collaboration opportunity or request for support.

You do not need to structure your presentation strictly around these points, but please ensure they are covered, as they will help facilitate discussion and engagement from both the community and SAC members.

Technical Arrangements

To help us start on time, we kindly ask all presenters to join 10 minutes before the webinar begins (05:50 UK time) so that we can test screen sharing and address any technical issues.

If possible, please also share either a PDF version of your presentation or a presentation link with the Secretariat in advance. This provides a useful backup should any technical difficulties arise during the webinar.

Agenda (21:00 UK Time)

OBON Project Community Webinar Series – Asia-Pacific Session

  • 06:00 – 06:05 Connection
  • 06:05 – 06:10 OBON Introduction

First Time Projects Presentation

  • 06:10 – 06:25 ANEMONE Global: Advancing eDNA-based Biodiversity Monitoring | Imane Sioud – Tohoku University
  • 06:25 – 06:40 Citizens of the Sea | Erin Bomati – Citizens of the Sea
  • 06:40 – 06:55 BLOWOMICS – Novel Perspectives on Non-invasive Cetacean Research Using microRNA Biomarkers in the Exhaled Breath | Dr Courtney Waugh – University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia
  • 06:55 – 07:05 SAC Reflections, Questions and Comments

Projects update

  • 07:05 – 07:11 OceanOmics: Monitoring & Protecting Ocean Life | Eric Raes – Minderoo Foundation
  • 07:11 – 07:17 EMO BON | Ioulia Santi – EMBRC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre)
  • 07:17 – 07:23 NBDL (National Biodiversity DNA Library) | Jenny Giles/Nerida Wilson – CSIRO
  • 07:23 – 07:30 SAC Reflections, Questions and Comments.

We look forward to hearing about your work and bringing the OBON community together ahead of the Annual Meeting.

Please contact Luz in the OBON project office if you have any questions.

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