On-site Training in Zagreb: A Success Story with Sanja Duvnjak and the Croatian Veterinary Institute
Posted on February 02, 2026
We are delighted to share a highlight from the end of 2025, when ecSeq Bioinformatics delivered tailored on-site NGS and bioinformatics training at the Croatian Veterinary Institute in Zagreb. This engagement grew out of an earlier connection with Sanja Duvnjak, a long-standing participant in our workshops, who found our introductory course so transformative that she invited us to bring the training directly to her team in Croatia.
For context, Dr. Sanja Duvnjak is Head of the Laboratory for Bacterial Zoonoses and Molecular Diagnostics of Bacterial Diseases at the Croatian Veterinary Institute in Zagreb, a key research centre in veterinary and zoonotic disease analytics with decades of scientific excellence. Her work encompasses microbial molecular biology, zoonoses diagnostics, and genomic approaches to understanding bacterial pathogens, reflecting a deep commitment to applied science and practical training.
We were warmly welcomed to Zagreb, where we conducted a 3-day introductory course followed by a 2-day Nextflow pipeline workshop. The introductory module brought together ten participants, helping them build foundational competence in NGS data analysis — from understanding how sequencing data are generated to implementing their first analysis pipelines with confidence. In the advanced Nextflow module, four participants learned how to turn these pipelines into robust, reproducible workflows that now serve as internal, reusable infrastructure.
Here is Sanja’s own account of the training experience:
"At the end of 2025, ecSeq Bioinformatics delivered a tailored on-site NGS and bioinformatics training at the Croatian Veterinary Institute in Zagreb. The course was carefully designed to meet both our immediate analytical needs regarding basic bioinformatics analysis and our long-term strategic goals for pipeline development. In the introductory module, ten participants learned how NGS data are generated, which scientific questions can be addressed with sequencing technologies, and how bioinformatics workflows transform raw data into interpretable results. Participants then implemented their first analysis pipeline in a guided, step-by-step manner. The individual tools and intermediate results were explained in depth, enabling participants to critically assess and interpret the output rather than treating the pipeline as a black box. In the advanced module, five participants learned how to put this pipeline into a robust, reproducible, and automated workflow using Nextflow. This has empowered us to develop a reusable internal pipeline for routine data analysis and future projects. The course was very informative and allowed for future collaborations and data interpretation to non-bioinformatic staff who are going to use the analysis outputs. The on-site training was time and money-saving, providing education to staff that wouldn't otherwise get that opportunity in a manner that was understandable even to those who were dealing with this kind of analysis for the first time. The communication and the organisation were very simple and easy-going, and most importantly, what was promised and expected was delivered. We hope to continue this collaboration in the future."
This glowing testimonial reflects exactly what we aim to achieve with our on-site training programmes: practical, impactful education delivered where teams work and where it matters most.
ecSeq’s on-site courses are designed to be flexible, team-focused, and aligned with your organisation’s specific needs. Whether an introductory three-day course, targeted advanced modules, or pipeline automation training with tools like Nextflow, our experts work side by side with your team to build confidence, skills, and reproducible workflows. Find out more about our on-site offerings here.
We are extremely grateful to Sanja and the Croatian Veterinary Institute for their hospitality, enthusiasm, and collaborative spirit. Building capacity together with committed teams like theirs is one of the most rewarding aspects of what we do, and we look forward to more such collaborations in the future.
If your team is interested in tailored on-site bioinformatics and NGS training, we’d be delighted to speak with you about how we can design a programme that fits your goals.
