This course offers theoretical and practical training on acquiring and analysing whole genome sequences (WGS) of respiratory viruses from clinical samples, with a focus on RSV. 

Duration: This five-day course begins on Thursday 25/06/2026 and ends on Wednesday 01/07/2026

Location: Athens, Greece

Audience: Microbiologists with interest in laboratory methods and analytical techniques used for the genetic characterization of respiratory viruses.

Objectives - After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• List Advantages a Disadvantages of various WGS tools commonly used for RSV
• Explain and apply the WGS workflow from sample to sequence using Nanopore technology
• Perform basic bioinformatic analysis of respiratory virus WGS data.
• Report sequence data to ECDC and GISAID.
• Describe Big Data analysis in clinical microbiology.
• Discuss AI applications in the field of WGS data analysis and reporting.

Participation: This course is not open for public enrolment. Participation is through invitation by National Focal Points for Microbiology.