10th Berlin Summer School in NGS Data Analysis 2026
Posted on June 22, 2026
The 10th Berlin Summer School in NGS Data Analysis (June 15-June 19, 2026) was a truly memorable week. Five intensive days of hands-on training, scientific exchange, invited talks, networking, and summer in Berlin.
This year, we welcomed 27 participants from Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Poland, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Finland, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, and Latvia. Bringing together such a diverse and international group always creates a special learning atmosphere, and this year was no exception. From the first day on, the course was marked by curiosity, excellent questions, lively discussions, and a strong motivation to really understand NGS data analysis in practice.
The programme covered essential aspects of NGS bioinformatics, including Linux for bioinformatics, NGS data formats, quality control, read mapping, RNA-seq analysis, differential expression, differential splicing, and an introduction to DNA variant calling. As always, the course was very hands-on and demanding. A lot of material was covered in a short amount of time, and by the end of the week everyone was understandably tired, but also, we hope, equipped with a much clearer understanding of how NGS workflows are performed and interpreted.
A major highlight of this year’s Summer School were our three invited speakers: Dr. Jeremy Leipzig from TileDB, Prof. Dr. Martin Kircher from Berlin Institute of Health at Charité / University of Lübeck / UKSH, and Dr. Vladimir Jovanović from Freie Universität Berlin. All three gave excellent and inspiring talks that fit perfectly into the course programme. Their presentations gave participants valuable insights into how NGS data analysis and bioinformatics are applied in real research, method development, data infrastructure, and everyday scientific work. The talks sparked many great questions and discussions, and we are very grateful that all speakers shared their expertise so openly with our participants.
Of course, the Summer School was not only about lectures and exercises. On Monday evening, we enjoyed a joint dinner in a very relaxed and cheerful atmosphere, which gave everyone the opportunity to get to know each other outside the classroom. On Wednesday, our guided city tour through Berlin with Manfred took place in perfect sunny weather. As always, his tour was a wonderful mix of history, stories, humour, and hidden perspectives on the city and it ended in a beer garden, which could hardly have been more fitting for a warm Berlin evening.
The week ended with temperatures above 30°C and bright sunshine. After five very intense days, the participants could return to their home countries tired but satisfied or stay a little longer and enjoy a sunny weekend in Berlin.
We would like to thank all participants for their openness, their questions, their energy, and the friendly atmosphere they helped create throughout the week. It was a pleasure to spend this Summer School with such a motivated and engaged group.
Curious about what our participants have said about previous courses? Check out their feedback and impressions here.